Gray Light: After Gray Area
by NeonHorizon
Summary: Grayscale is an ex-villain that's trying to make herself a better person. Aizawa and Hawks hope to help her overcome her past traumas and crimes. Mostly an OC x Aizawa romance, but with some OC x Hawks (gradual). This is a sequel to Gray Area, but I want to make this so anyone can read it. It's a story about love and healing. A few season 4 spoilers...
1. Chapter 1

NeonHorizon: I wrote Gray Area. Here's the sequel. I'm actually going to try to not reference Grayscale's personal stuff with the League of Villains too much because this isn't about them. This is about her recovering. With help from heroes. Mostly Aizawa, but Hawks is there too, I guess. This is a story about healing so there will be happy, sweet feels along with some dark and sad moments. Trigger warning for mentions of self-harm. I'm going to try to keep it kind of lighthearted though. With funny bits. Enjoy.

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_Raining..._ Yori pressed a hand against the window, her tails sweeping back and forth over the floor behind her. More accurately, the tarp on the floor beneath her. Black, slippery venom was oozing from her stingers, smearing over the tarp in bizarre patterns.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against the chilled glass. The rain made her almost cry. It brought on memories from the past. Her days living on the street. Days when she would run errands for Shigaraki. It felt like a lifetime since she saw him, even though she had only been in "rehab" for about two weeks.

When Hawks had snatched her up out of that alley, she feared for her life. She still kind of did. After all, he was a hero. He claimed to want to help her rehabilitate, but she had no idea what his motives were and he kind of unnerved her sometimes.

Leaning back, she adjusted her glasses and curled her hands into fists. She had tried so hard not to think about the past, but looking at the rain ruined everything. She had been heavily involved with the League of Villains. She had been the one closest to Shigaraki. The one that offered everyone undying support. It took a toll on her, though. Emotionally, mentally, physically.

_The rain's making my tails hurt worse_, she realized. Sighing, she rested a hand on the cast Hawks had made for the girl's twin tails. It itched. The healing bones ached. However, it was better than letting them heal crookedly. At least then she would be able to live without a constant reminder of the horrific treatment she had suffered when she was captured by Overhaul.

Yori lifted a hand and, with just her index finger, began scratching at an itch on her neck. Watching the rain continue to fall. Marveling at the view from Hawks' apartment. The sunlight was filtering down through the storm clouds, casting the city in a soft gray light. Her scratching ceased as she tilted her head.

Seconds later, the door opened behind her across the room. There was a rustling sound before her "rehabilitator" spoke. "I'm home! Hm? What're you doing, Grayscale?"

Her tails lifted a few inches and thumped against the floor with a quiet splatter of venom. Looking over her shoulder at the blond hero, she frowned and pushed up her glasses. "You're _late_."

He grinned. "What? Did you start getting _lonely_?" he teased, closing and locking the door behind him. Even though he called this "rehab", even though she had agreed to let him try to help her, he still kept her locked in. As if his trust in her was weak. As if he thought she might rush out to rejoin the League of Villains.

Yori lowered her gaze to the venom trails on the tarp beneath her and grimaced. "I don't get lonely," she stated as she pushed herself to stand. Flicking her tails, she managed to shake the excess venom from her stingers before she went to approach Hawks.

Despite being there for two weeks, she had no idea what his real name was. He had introduced himself as "Hawks" and never gave her any other name to call him. Additionally, he never called her by her preferred name. He referred to her only as "Grayscale". Whether he was just a quirky guy or trying to maintain some distance between them, it was hard to tell. He was difficult to read.

She spotted the shopping bags in his hands and raised an eyebrow. Before she could ask about them, she had to raise her arms to shield herself from flying droplets of water. The hero had raised his wings to ruffle them in an effort to dry them. His hair and clothes were wet so she had to wonder if he had tried to fly through the rain and how well it actually would have worked.

"So what are those bags about?" Yori finally asked, taking off her glasses to clean them.

"I got you some stuff." Hawks was already beaming, holding up the bags as his messy blond hair continued to drip rain water on the floor. "I thought I'd be done before the storm started," he offered in explanation. "Here."

Yori put her glasses back on and accepted the bags. Immediately, he started slipping off his jacket so she turned away to examine what he had brought her. _Paper? It looks kind of weird though. Pens? Ink? And this one has-? _Her sharp, amber eyes widened and she felt her heart skip a beat. _Clothes!_

When Hawks grabbed her from the alley, she had only the clothes on her back, her cellphone, and a special syringe. No weapons. No money. None of her other belongings. She had started wearing his clothes, but they were a little too tight in the chest and hips. It was awkward.

He kept his back turned to her as he heard the rustling of cloth. The hero half-grinned, running his gloved fingers through his hair as his "guest" put on some new clothes. "I thought you'd be more excited about the paper and pens," he admitted. "And I didn't know what you like so I just picked out whatever I thought would be comfy."

Now in a slightly oversized black sweater and a dark purple skirt, Yori bowed her head and grinned. "I…like it," she confessed. She jolted as a hand planted on her shoulder and his face came into view beside hers.

"Great! So now we can get started!"

"Get started on what?" Yori let him take the bag of art supplies from her and watched him walk over to the couch. She followed, but with hesitation. As a recovering villain, she knew that he could change his mind about her at any moment and take her to Tartarus. She had been pretty careful up to this point; trying not to do anything to make him upset. It was exhausting.

"Therapy."

She narrowed her eyes as she approached the side of the couch. Hawks had seated himself and now he was dumping the contents of the bag onto the coffee table. His wings lifted, tucking behind the back of the couch as he sorted through the items. Yori lingered where she stood, simply watching him for a moment. He looked kind of excited. Like a kid that just opened a box of new crayons.

_Are there crayons?_ She looked around, but saw only the paper, pens, and ink. "Therapy?" she finally repeated, voice dripping with skepticism. In her time there, he had yet to attempt any sort of rehab stuff. If anything, it kind of seemed more like he had forgotten what he was supposed to be doing and was just treating her as a roommate.

"I was reading some stuff about rehab. They say you're supposed to find something that makes you feel happy and helps pass time. Like a hobby. The police report from the Kamino hideout raid listed all the stuff they found in your room. You had a huuuuuge collection of manga! They called it a fire hazard." Hawks laughed for a moment, shaking his head. "So we're going to learn how to make manga. Can you grab the bags near the door?"

_We're making manga? Seriously?_ It sounded more frustrating than relaxing, but Yori went to get the other bags without complaining about the activity he had planned. It was better than nothing. Better than the usual afternoon routine of sitting and listening to him talk about his day, talk about Endeavor at least three times, and wait until he finally broke out the food for their dinner.

_What's with his obsession with Endeavor anyway? He's a trash hero._ Returning with the bags, she saw that he had opened the art supplies and was already drawing the current number one hero. Yori sat on the opposite end of the couch and rummaged through the new bags.

Books on how to draw, books on how to get a manga published, and apparently the last bag contained either his sick idea of a joke or what he intended for them to eat for dinner. A container filled with chicken skewers and a container with skewered scorpions in it, glazed with some sort of sauce.

She had seen him eat chicken before. It seemed to be his favorite food, actually. Yori never ceased to be confused by it. Somehow, the idea of eating something you resemble just seemed creepy. "And this is…?"

"Dinner. I got you honey-glazed scorpion skewers."

_You're demented._ The ex-villain reached up, lightly scratching an itch on her neck as she looked from him to the scorpions. She set the containers of food on the coffee table and saw him abandon his Endeavor fan art in favor of prying open the scorpion box to help himself to the food.

Yori began flipping through one of the books about drawing manga, frowning to herself. She had always really liked shoujo manga; it was her guilty pleasure as a villain. _I like reading manga. That doesn't mean I want to __**make**__ manga. And does he seriously think we could get it published? No publisher would want to sell something written by an ex-villain. No one would even buy it. And I can't draw._

She winced, hearing him crunching on a glazed and roasted scorpion. The girl was almost afraid to look up. Her stingers were shaped like a scorpion's so Hawks frequently made little jokes about it. Seeing him eat a scorpion would feel too much like being threatened. "So am I still your dirty little secret?" She tried to sound like she was taunting him, but she was genuinely curious.

"Yep." Hawks stretched his wings out to the sides a bit and then flapped them a little as he started eating the next scorpion on the skewer. "I'm not telling anyone about my project."

"Your _rehab_ project."

"Right." He waited for her to look his way before flashing a grin and licking honey glaze off of his lips. "I don't want anyone to spoil my fun! If they know where you are, they'll want to take you to prison."

_So what's going to happen to me? Even if I'm rehabilitated, I'll still be me. I'd still be held responsible for all the people I've hurt and killed._ Yori winced again, hearing the scorpion crunch between his teeth. Her eyes were averted again, a hand lifting to absently scratch at the side of her neck with her index fingernail.

"Is anyone still looking for me?" Her voice was soft; barely above a whisper. The idea of being stuck there forever filled her with dread. Being alone all day while he was out, locked in this apartment. Alone with her thoughts, her memories, her traumas. Having only Hawks to interact with and only after hours of him being gone. It was enough to make anyone start to go insane.

Hawks tilted his head, teeth closed on the tail of the scorpion as he was about to take another bite. His eyes narrowed slightly for a moment before he drew the skewer away from his mouth and grinned. "Yeah."

"Who?" She tried not to sound too hopeful. After all, the one hero that she really did want to apologize to probably wanted nothing to do with her anymore. What she had done to him was unforgivable. Aizawa. They had been so close when she tried to be a hero. She had tried so hard, but each time, she ended up back with the League of Villains. Back with Shigaraki. _Not again_, she promised herself.

"Eraserhead. I heard he's been making rounds at night, looking for you around where I found you," Hawks answered. He tilted his head to the other side, examining her expression. She looked relieved and it made his grin spread. "You two were a thing for a while, right? I remember hearing that you saved him once."

Pale hair fell forward around her face as she bowed her head. "Yeah. So what? It's not like I care. I doubt he'd want anything to do with me anyway. Look at me. I'm a mess."

"Yeah. You're trying to get better though, right?" He waited for her to look over and maintained the most unsettling eye contact as he bit into the skewered scorpion. Hawks chewed, still staring her in the eyes, and finally swallowed. Licking his lips, he saw her begin to scratch her neck. Tilting his head once more, he raised an eyebrow. "Right? Grayscale? You want to get better?"

She turned her head to the side, heart hammering in anxiety. "I-I do. Yeah."

"You know, that tsundere thing was actually kind of cute," he teased.

Yori bit the inside of her cheek, amber eyes narrowing. She grabbed one of the chicken skewers and tore into it viciously with her teeth. As she chewed, her tails smacked against the couch cushions in frustration. "A-anyway. Just because I like reading manga, doesn't mean I want to make my own."

"Why not? It'll be fun. Come on; let's think of a story, at least. We can just start and if we get bored, we can just quit."

_You're supposed to be rehabilitating a villain and that's how you view things? Is that how you see me? Am I going to prison as soon as you get bored with me?_ Deciding not to think about it, Yori opted to smirk instead of frown. "Let's make a shoujo manga," she stated.

"Huh?" Hawks rubbed the back of his neck, tossing the now empty skewer aside with his other hand. "Does it _have_ to be shoujo?"

"Yeah." Yori moved closer on the couch and reached for another chicken skewer. "I want to make…a lovey-dovey shoujo manga. That would make me happy." Her smirk grew. _I'll teach you not to mess with me, "hero"._

He gave her a grin. "Oh! Sure! If it'll make you happy. Just like real rehab."


	2. Chapter 2

NeonHorizon: I'm not sure if I want to do longer chapters or shorter chapters for this series. Chapter one was five pages, chapter two is four. Let me know if you prefer longer chapters.

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The cats were meowing. Begging for food, even though there was still a little left in their bowls. Aizawa, being who he was, had no choice. He would have to put off what he was about to do and make sure the bowls were refilled.

As he poured some food into the bowls, he watched them gather. The mother cat, her three offspring, and the hairless cat called Gremlin. One was missing. He finished filling the dishes and sighed, knowing already where he would find the last cat.

Sure enough, the chubby black and white feline known as Panda had waddled into Eri's room and was curled up on the girl's bed at her side. The child was sleeping peacefully and even slept through Panda's loud meow of protest when Aizawa lifted him off the blanket.

As much as Eri loved the cat, as much as the cat loved Eri, Aizawa had reservations about letting Panda sleep in her room. He was a large cat and if he decided to sleep on Eri's pillow, Aizawa could imagine him accidentally smothering the child in her sleep. Looking down at the cat, he sighed and stroked behind Panda's ears. "I'll be back."

No further word was given. He left the dorms without even looking back. After all, this was normal for him now. Aizawa left at night, after Eri had gone to sleep, and went off to search for Grayscale.

He knew she needed help. When he last saw her, the girl's tails were crooked and crudely wrapped in bandage. She was in obvious pain, but trying so hard to act like a villain. Like she had no kindness to offer him. Like he was a stranger. He even had a scar on his shoulder from where one of her stingers had stabbed him.

Aizawa had to save her, even if she claimed to be a villain. No matter what she did, no matter what she said, Grayscale was still Grayscale. They had history together. She had saved his life. She had helped him heal. Now he was determined to do the same for her.

The man went to the area where he had last seen her and began his search. He watched for women with long, pale hair or exposed tails. Unfortunately, tails were still kind of uncommon. White hair was also uncommon; especially in women in their mid-twenties. It was shaping up to be another night of disappointment.

The hours passed slowly and Aizawa's patience started to wear thin. He was tired. He wanted so badly to just go back to the dorms and sleep. However, even more than that, he wanted to find her. Even after everything, he loved her.

He loved Grayscale's sarcasm and how she acted when she was flustered. He loved how she worried over other people and rushed to help out. He loved her laugh and the way she flirted. He had to find her and make sure that she was alright. Aizawa had to save her.

**Shift P.O.V**

Exhausted from fighting. A bit battered and bruised. A decent amount of feathers missing. He approached the apartment door and put on a smile. At least it was over and now he could relax. Best of all, he had his "project" to look forward to. That was enough to make the grueling day worth it.

Hawks unlocked the door and entered with a cheerful grin. "I'm home!" The door closed behind him and he cocked his head to the side, blinking in surprise. Usually she would be waiting near the window or on the couch. She was nowhere to be seen. "Grayscale? I'm home."

He walked toward the open bathroom doorway, his grin falling. If she escaped, he would have to find her as soon as possible. No one knew she had been staying with him. As far as he knew, the League of Villains had assumed that she went off on her own plan to acquire funds for them. If they knew that he took her, Hawks would be in a lot of trouble. His cover would be blown. Dabi would know everything and his spying days would be over.

"Grayscale?" The bathroom was empty and he felt his pulse quicken. If she escaped, even if the League of Villains failed to recollect her, he would definitely be in trouble for harboring a villain. Hawks, still fatigued from his earlier fight, started planning where he would go to search for her first and had to pause and wonder if he even had enough strength left to do so.

It was as he moved toward his closed bedroom door that he found her. The ex-villain was curled up on her side on the floor behind the couch, sleeping soundly. She was still wearing her glasses and had ink splotches on her hands and wrists. There were a number of papers under and around her, bearing sketches of character designs.

Hawks breathed a sigh of relief and crouched down beside her, running his fingers through his hair. The hero's wings twitched anxiously at the thought of what might have happened. He reached down to pull her glasses off, folding them and setting them aside.

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he stood and continued the walk to his bedroom. _For a second there, I thought I lost my "project". That wouldn't be any fun if it was over that quickly._ The hero paused in his steps and looked over his shoulder.

The ex-villain's tails lifted and quietly smacked against the floor, the cast making a clicking sort of sound. Dark venom dripped from her stingers, droplets falling onto the floor beneath her. She mumbled something and curled into a tighter ball, arms wrapped around herself.

He saw her nails digging into her upper arms and winced when she began to bleed. "Grayscale? Hey. Don't do that." Glancing to his room and then back to her, his grin fell once more. Deciding he had no choice, Hawks crouched down beside the tailed girl again and gently pried her hands away from her arms. In response, her tails whipped upwards as if to sting him, but the casts severely limited her movement. "Hey; it's okay. You're okay."

Sitting on the floor, he looked down at the sketches. There were small, dead birds scrawled in the margins of her character designs. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking from her slightly frowning, sleeping face and the horrific dead birds.

She had been through some pretty terrible stuff. Hawks knew this already. The moment they first met, when Dabi brought her to a meeting just to show her off, Hawks had decided that he was going to take her so he could help. He could see it in her eyes; she was breaking apart.

_These sketches look great though_, he thought as he marveled over the designs. His plans for her rehabilitation might have been flimsy and hastily put together, but there was one thing he was absolutely certain of. He was going to get her manga published. He could figure out the rest after that happened.

**Shift P.O.V**

Yori woke on the floor behind the couch, tears dried on her cheeks. She pushed herself to sit up and looked around, but her vision was blurry. The ex-villain felt around and found her glasses folded neatly nearby. As she slid them on, she felt instant regret.

"Oh cool; you're awake. Dinner's on the table. I'll be right there." Hawks grinned at her from the open bathroom doorway, acting completely unaware of the fact that the only thing he was wearing was a towel around his waist.

She lowered her gaze slowly, trying not to act flustered, and glared at the floor. "You know, I'm pretty sure even birds can get colds," she muttered.

He had started to walk to his room and paused to look at her over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed slightly. The bright grin was suddenly replaced with a sort of smirk as he turned to face her. "What's wrong with that? I could use a day off. Think of how many pages we could get done."

"Yeah, yeah." Yori redirected her attention to the character designs on the floor around her. She had been in the middle of trying to design an antagonist when she dozed off. _I was joking before. I thought he'd change his mind if I said it had to be a shoujo manga. I didn't think I'd get so interested in this._

The girl went to sit on the couch, carrying her pages and supplies with her. Looking at the table, she tilted her head. There was a paper bag sitting on the table's surface. _What did he get for dinner? If it's scorpions again…_Yori opened the bag and found bento boxes as well as a gift-wrapped little box. _What's this supposed to be? Is this for Endeavor?_

Trying to imagine Hawks presenting this weird little wrapped box to the hero she despised, Yori snorted. She shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek, tails thumping softly against the couch cushions. _No way. If he got something for Endeavor, it would be way bigger than whatever this is. He's the kind of idiot that would probably get an Endeavor tattoo on his chest._

Hawks hopped over the back of the couch, settling heavily beside her and reaching for the bag. He dug the disposable chopsticks out first and held his in his mouth as he started getting their food out. "You shouldn't sleep behind the couch. You almost gave me a heart attack," he muttered.

"What? Were you worried about me?" she taunted.

"If someone else caught you, you'd go to jail," Hawks replied, his eyebrows furrowing. "That wouldn't be any fun."

"This is fun for you?" Yori saw him nod as he offered her a bento box. She grimaced slightly at the fact that he had traded his towel for a pair of pajama pants. Just pajama pants. No shirt. Wings spread wide behind him as his feathers dried. Well, what feathers were left. He looked kind of ragged.

Looking at his wings, she frowned. "What happened? Did you piss off the wrong chicken?" she attempted to joke.

Hawks was in mid-bite and grinned. "Awww. Are you worried about me, Grayscale? Want to patch me up?"

"…no…" She began eating and saw him quickly devour his first bento before helping himself to another. _How many bento boxes did he get?_ Looking at his patchy feathers, Yori bit deeper into the inside of her cheek. It was clear that he had been in a pretty brutal fight, but it was also clear that he had no desire to tell her about it.

The ex-villain took stock of his bruises and cuts. She noted the handfuls of feathers that he was missing. Yori lifted another mouthful of food to her lips and chewed. When he got up and went to the bathroom, returning with a medical kit, she expected him to ask her to take care of his injuries.

Instead, Hawks sat beside her and rummaged in the kit for a roll of gauze. He hummed quietly and leaned over. Getting close, he gently moved her right arm so he could wrap her upper arm. Only then did Yori even notice the small, crescent-shaped gouges in her skin. "Can you turn so I can get the other one, too?"


	3. Chapter 3

Fatigue was wearing him down as he finally went to bed. At least it was a Sunday so he could try to get some sleep. Though, try as he might, he was finding it difficult. The sweet treasure known as slumber would draw close, only to be yanked out of reach as thoughts would pop into his head.

Memories. Ideas. Theories. Aizawa felt the bed dip at his side and heard the loud purring of the hairless cat. He opened his eyes slightly when the feline nudged its head against his hand and could not resist petting it. The cat was warm, its skin kind of dry. He brought the cat onto his chest, frowning as he continued to pet it.

In his search for Grayscale, he had begun collecting information from businesses in the areas where he searched. No one had seen the pale-haired villain in almost three weeks. It was entirely possible that she was dead.

He closed his eyes, releasing a heavy sigh as he tried once more to fall asleep. That was when he heard the quiet footsteps approaching the door and he remembered that it was around breakfast time. Outside, Eri's tentative footsteps were joined by the soft patter of cat paws on the floor.

As if urged by the other cats, the hairless feline on his chest started yowling and stretched. It kneaded his chest through his shirt, tail smacking him in the face. Now the gentle embrace of sleep was so far away that it seemed a tiny dot on a distant horizon. Aizawa gave up on getting rest and decided to feed the cats and Eri. Maybe after they all ate, he would be able to take a nap.

Aizawa got off of his bed, lifting the cat to perch on his shoulder as he moved toward the doorway. Eri was already timidly peeking into the room, holding the Panda in her arms. The sight of that made him feel a little better. If nothing else, it was a nice distraction from the possibility that Grayscale was dead.

"Are you hungry?" He ran a hand through his hair as he walked, pausing to make sure that Eri was able to keep up. Seeing the little girl frown, he frowned back. "It's okay if you are."

"I'm…I'm hungry," she replied, hugging Panda a little closer.

He nodded and continued walking. It was clear from the child's worried stare; she knew he was running himself ragged. He could feel it in his muscles. It felt like every movement took great effort. Even blinking. His eyes felt so dry that he actually had to stop to dig in his pocket for some eye drops.

The little girl stared up at him, head tilting slightly. "Are you okay?"

Aizawa rubbed at the back of his neck, releasing another sigh. On his shoulder, the cat shifted so it could stare down at Eri curiously. "No. I'm not okay." He started to gather things to make her breakfast; prioritizing the child's hunger over the cats'.

"Can I help?" She came to stand beside him, eager to do something to make him feel better.

Realizing just how much he was worrying her, the hero crouched down so he was closer to eye level with Eri. "This is something that I have to work through," he assured her. Very gently, he ruffled her pale, wavy hair. "It's nice that you want to help, but it's something I have to do alone."

"…oh…" Eri fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, looking very disappointed.

"Can you take Gremlin?" he asked as the hairless cat began to chew on his hair. When the little girl set down Panda and reached up for the other cat, Aizawa saw the faintest hint of joy in her eyes at being able to help in some way.

On some level, he knew it would be better to stop. To stay in at night. Try to forget about Grayscale. After all, the last time they spoke she acted less than friendly. She acted like a villain. He still had a scar on his shoulder from where one of her stingers stabbed into him.

At the same time, Aizawa was unable to forget that look in her eyes and the tone of her voice. Her words were harsh, but he had heard the sadness. The pain. Additionally, when they last spoke, she treated it as a last farewell. She had given him her savings so he could take care of Eri, who she had bonded with while she was in Overhaul's possession. No real villain would do that.

As he sat down with Eri, keeping the child company as she ate, he looked to the window. It was Sunday. It was still overcast outside. A perfect day to sleep. But sleep was moving further and further down his to do list as he started to consider new areas where he could search. When he knew what had become of Grayscale, then he would allow himself to sleep. Preferably with her at his side.

**Shift P.O.V**

Yori felt goose bumps rising on her arms, the hair lifting at the back of her neck. She groggily opened her eyes and stared at the blurry shape standing beside the couch for a moment before her brain registered what it was. In her half-asleep mind, for a split second, she thought he was Overhaul and that she was still suffering through that nightmare period of her life.

Blinking rapidly, she realized this might be worse. The girl jolted back from the edge of the couch, tails smacking loudly against the cushions as her heart raced. Her amber eyes were wide with fear as she scrambled to get as far from the looming figure as the couch would allow.

Hawks tilted his head, mouth drawing into a disappointed frown. He ran his free hand through his sleep-tousled golden hair and took a step back. "You woke up. That's too bad."

Yori, with her pulse pounding in her ears, looked from his face to the feather blade in his right hand. _What is he doing? What the hell is he doing?! _She swallowed her fear and opened her mouth to demand an answer, but he turned away and began walking back to his room.

"I'll just wait for you to fall asleep again. No big deal."

A cold sweat broke out all over her and she watched him walk. She had to lean up to look over the back of the couch and saw that he had left his door open a crack so he peer out into the main room. Yori grabbed her blanket and quietly slipped off of the couch. She moved beneath the coffee table, wrapping the blanket around her and reaching up for her glasses.

Only when her vision was clear did she even attempt to puzzle through what had just happened. _What the fuck was that about?! Was he going to kill me in my sleep? I knew it! I knew he was going to get bored of me and now he's just going to kill me and dump my body somewhere in an alley so everyone will think the League killed me! This is it! This is the end!_

Yori scratched rapidly at her neck, nails and fingertips starting to get wet and gooey after a while. She was panting, trembling, chewing viciously at her lower lip. Her eyes were narrowed, focused on the direction of his room. Terrible, painful memories were popping into her head.

She had survived through so much already; Overhaul's sick and twisted treatment of her, Shigaraki's constant creepy demands, fighting for her life even before she ever became a villain. For it to end this way, at the hands of a hero that had just lost interest in his little "project", was almost anticlimactic. If she had known it would end this way, she would have fought him. She would have at least tried to escape the apartment.

Yori spent the next two hours staring at his door from beneath the coffee table and couch. She listened for any indication that he might be coming out again. If he came after her with that feather blade again, she would have no choice; she would have to try to sting him, pump his veins full of her venom, and hope he was not immune.

She finally heard a quiet snoring and let herself relax a little. _He went back to sleep. But for how long? Was he really awake when he came out here? What if he was sleep-walking? But he seemed pretty awake. I don't know enough about sleep-walking to…_Yori yawned and grimaced. She was still very sleepy and now the adrenaline was wearing off.

It was unclear when she had dozed off, but by the time she woke up, there was sunlight filtering in through the curtains. Yori was forcefully dragged into consciousness by the fact that her ankle was in someone's grip and she was forcefully being dragged from beneath the coffee table. She thrashed, clawing at the floor to try to get back to her hiding place.

Unfortunately, Yori had been sleeping on her stomach so she was in the perfect position for Hawks to perch on her lower back once she was out in the open to pin her down. His weight kept her pressed tight against the floor and Yori yelped as she heard the sound of something sharp striking something blunt.

Continuing to thrash, she tried to free herself. She had no idea what he was doing, but the sound continued and filled the room. Yori felt him moving up along her back until he was sitting on her shoulder blades. She tried to reach for one of his wings in the hopes of yanking out feathers and doing some damage to fight back. Her tails tried to lift, but she felt him grip the base of her tails and hold them down.

_What is he doing?! I can't see!_ Even if she looked over her shoulder, all she could see was the winged hero sitting on her back and doing something. Whatever it was, she had no view of it. His wings flapped, a few loose feathers falling around the two as she continued to struggle.

When cold air came into contact with her left tail, just a little, she tensed and realized what he was doing. Hawks wedged his fingers into the opening in her cast and pried it open to free her tail. "Don't sting me," he muttered over his shoulder. He started working on the next one as she ceased fighting him.

Once he was done, he slid off of her back and sat against the couch, watching her tails lift and bend slightly. The adrenaline had caused her stingers to leak a little venom, but he was unscathed. He saw the way she stared at her healed tails and grinned. "Well? I did a pretty good job, huh? Considering I learned from an online tutorial."

Yori lifted a hand, scratching at an itch on her neck, and looked from her tails to the man. His feather blade was sitting on the floor beside him, just within his reach. "You couldn't just tell me what you were doing?" she muttered.

Hawks tilted his head, an eyebrow lifting. "I wanted it to be a surprise. You were going to wake up and see the casts were off. It was going to be fun."

She lifted and thumped her tails against the floor. "I legitimately thought you were going to _kill_ me. Do you know the shit I've been through?"

He was about to retort, but then saw her scratch her neck. More specifically, the deep gouges her nails had made and the dried blood around them. Hawks listened to her talk for a moment and then reached over for her wrist. Without a word, he proceeded to stand and dragged the ex-villain into the bathroom with him.

_What the hell is he doing now?_ Yori could feel herself getting irritated. With her tails freed now, she felt her sarcasm starting to resurface. The second that Hawks released her, she tried to get out of the bathroom to put distance between them again. Needless to say, she was more than a little fearful of him at this point. Waking up to someone standing over you with a blade will do that to a person.

Before Yori could get out of the room, she found her back making contact with the wall and the winged hero planted a hand against the smooth surface beside her face. She winced at the action and then glared at the man. Venom dripped from the points of her stingers, vicious words coming to her mind.

Hawks lifted her face before she could speak, fingers pressing gently at her jaw on both sides. He heard her tails start to angrily smack against the wall, but he was focused on the scratches on her neck. His free hand went to the medical kit that sat open on the sink's edge and grabbed an alcohol wipe. He tore open the pack with his teeth and started cleaning the wounds.

"I know you've been through some bad stuff," he started, his tone warm and gentle. "I'm not going to say it'll be okay. I'm not going to pretend like I know what you went through." The bloody wipe was tossed into the sink and he reached for some bandages. "But you're safe now. I told you I wouldn't hurt you. There we go."

Yori had closed her eyes when he lifted her face and now opened them. Hawks leaned back to admire his handiwork and half-grinned when he saw her reach up to touch the bandaging. She had not realized that she was holding her breath until now. A small sigh, sounding disgustingly like relief, escaped her.

"Next time," she started, in her soft, hoarse voice. "Just tell me what you're doing." The pale-haired ex-villain was trying to maintain her glare, but it was difficult when this man was wearing such a pleased expression on his face.

"Where's the fun in that? It was supposed to be a surprise." Hawks ruffled his hair with one hand and looked away, still half-grinning. He left the bathroom, stalking into the other room to collect his feather blade. There were chunks of Yori's casts all over the floor, as well as her discarded casts.

Knowing that there was no chance of going back to sleep after being woken in such a bizarre way, Yori decided to attempt to work on her manga. Though she was still extremely skeptical that anyone would ever publish it. She sat on the couch, looking through her sketches and trying to forget what had just happened.

"Oh! You're working on the manga? Wait a second." Hawks' voice came from beside her ear and the man soon struggled to pull himself over the back of the couch. His wings nearly smacked her in the face and he grinned as he sat beside her. "I can do shading."


	4. Chapter 4

_Late._ She paused in her drawing, the apartment going silent as she did so. Her tails lifted slightly and thumped against the couch in frustration. Hawks would usually be back now. He would have entered the apartment with a grin, calling out that he was home as if she was just his roommate. As if this was all normal.

Yori leaned back on the couch, stretching her arms over her head as she yawned. The stack of pages on the coffee table had steadily increased and, much to her surprise, the manga was really coming together nicely. Picking up the topmost page, she used her free hand to push up her glasses.

_I never thought I'd be doing something like this…but I don't hate it._ Setting the page down again, it really was hard to believe that she was in this position. There had been a time when she was sure she would die fighting alongside the rest of the League of Villains, but here she was working on a manga.

She had to wonder if anyone would really buy it though. It was a shoujo manga. With a girly love story. She was still surprised that Hawks was okay with helping her with it. _Nothing fazes him_, she thought as she returned to her work.

Running her fingers through her hair, the girl looked toward the door again. It was getting later. She had very little appetite, but she felt a sense of worry gnaw at her. _What if something happened to him?_

It was a genuine worry because, as far as she knew, no one knew she was in his apartment. If something happened to him, for instance if he died or was hospitalized, Yori would be alone. She would eventually run out of food and starve. He locked her in every morning when he left and she had discovered on the first day that there was no way for her to unlock the door without a key.

The thought of dying alone in his apartment, trapped like some kind of vermin, sent her speeding toward panic. She stood, looking around for something heavy in case she would need to smash the window and call for help. At the same time, she was reminded of how high off the ground she was and it made her heart race with fear. It was one thing to look outside, but to be exposed to the open air was a terrifying notion.

Yori's hand moved on its own, lifting to her neck and poised to start scratching. She paused and drew her hand away, frowning and chewing on her lower lip. The last time she scratched open her neck, the alcohol wipes had really stung when Hawks cleaned the wounds.

A memory started to surface. Blurred. Faded. From what felt like a lifetime ago. She subconsciously pushed it back down and shook her head. Both hands trailed through her hair as she looked to his door and then to the apartment door.

_He'll be back. He has to come back. He can't just leave me in here to die._ A cold sweat broke out on her skin and Yori paced, her tails swaying anxiously behind her. It felt too much like the past. Someone else had once trapped her. In a small room. Kept there until they wanted to see her, until they wanted something from her.

She continued to pace, the panic only increasing with each extra second that she had to wait. She felt itchy. She felt trapped. It was getting a little hard to breathe and she gave in, scratching at her neck in her anxiety.

Yori finally moved back to the couch, curling into a ball in a corner of it and wrapping her arms around herself. _I can't die here. I can't die here! I don't want to die here alone! Why isn't he back yet?!_ She closed her eyes, teeth gritting as her tails alternately struck against the front of the couch.

The ex-villain was starting to have some bad memories resurface. Memories of a hand clad in a white glove, reaching for her. Memories of being helpless. It made her so scared that she felt like she might vomit. She could taste bitter bile and struggled to swallow it, fighting it down.

_I'm safe_, she tried to assure herself. _He said that I'm safe here. Nothing can hurt me here. He said that I'd be safe. And Overhaul…can't even touch me anymore. So why does it feel like this? Why am I afraid that he's going to come through that door? I hate this! I can't…stand…feeling like this!_

She bit the inside of her cheek, hard, tasting blood. Both hands ran through her hair as tears formed in her eyes. Yori could remember it so well. Overhaul's face was forever burned into her memory and she hated how it made her shiver. It was impossible for him to touch her so this was no logical fear. She knew that, on some level, but was still scared beyond belief.

Yori remained this way for so long that she failed to realize she had dozed off until she felt the cushion beside hers dip. In her groggy state, her fear instantly increased and she jolted away from the figure. Her tails lifted, the stingers pointing at the man's face as she struggled to focus her vision.

Hawks blinked in surprise and leaned forward, ignoring the tails. Her glasses were crooked and he adjusted them for her. "It's just me; you're okay." His voice was soft, his tone gentle.

She felt heat rise to her face in embarrassment and she leaned back from him. Tears had dried on her cheeks and her breathing was uneven as she tried to calm down from the residual terror from before. "…you're late…" she mumbled, turning her head to the side.

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly in puzzlement. Hawks pulled his hand back slowly, blinking once and then running his fingers through his wind-tousled golden hair. "I had to meet with Dabi."

_It's more than that._ Yori could see his wings behind him. A lot of feathers were missing. So many were missing that his wings looked smaller than usual. In addition to that, she could see that he was a little bruised and scraped. He had changed out of his hero costume so more skin was showing, revealing his injuries. _What happened to him?_

She wiped at her cheeks, trying to erase the trails of dried tears, causing the blanket draped over her shoulders to fall a little. _What…?_

"You looked cold," he explained, scratching at the scruff on his chin. "Sorry I was late. I didn't mean to take so long, Grayscale."

"Did you get caught in a ceiling fan or something?" she mumbled, trying to distract him from the fact she had been crying.

Hawks tilted his head the other way now, a grin tugging at his lips. "You don't watch TV while I'm gone, huh?"

"I don't watch TV." She was about to say more, but the hero leaned over to grab her wrist and stop her from scratching her neck. Yori's eyes widened, having not even realized that she was about to do it. The pale-haired girl turned her head to the side again, not wanting to see him.

Warm fingertips traced lightly over the deep scratches on her skin and he clicked his tongue. "You did it again? You're going to end up doing some real damage if you keep this up."

"Don't…talk to me about it. I know I shouldn't do it. I don't mean to do it. It just…happens. When I'm stressed."

"Oh? Why were you stressed?"

"I was _alone_! I thought you might've _died_ or someth-!" Yori went silent, chewing at the inside of her cheek as she seethed. "It's not like I care. I just didn't want to die here."

His eyebrows raised and Hawks grinned again. "I really like that tsundere side you've got." He leaned back, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. "You know, I prefer this Grayscale. This is more like the real you, right?"

_The real me?_ She drew the blanket up around her shoulders again. _I don't even know what the real me is like anymore._ Wanting to distract him, she nodded toward the stack of manga pages on the coffee table. "I…got some work done."

"Cool. Let me read it."

"…no…" Yori started to reach for the pages, frowning.

"Why not? Come on; I want to see how it looks." Hawks extended a hand to her, anticipating the pages being handed over.

"It's shoujo manga. It's not really for guys, you know. It's a love story."

"So?" He raised an eyebrow now and leaned closer. "Come on." She clutched the pages to her chest and Hawks sighed in mock defeat. He leaned forward on his couch cushion, elbows resting on his knees as he slouched. "If you let me read them, I'll tell you what happened today."

Whatever it was, it was important. The defeated, tired expression on his face was not normal for him. Yori's caretaker instincts kicked in and she knew she had to do something to help. "Fine."

She handed them over, watching his eyes light up. _Was he just pretending to be upset?_ Yori looked away as he flipped through the pages, listening to him make a quiet exclamation or laugh every so often. Her eyes fell upon the half-devoured bucket of fried chicken on the coffee table in front of him, her stomach growling to remind her that she had not eaten.

As Yori helped herself to some food, Hawks grinned and settled back more comfortably. "This is pretty cute," he commented.

"I guess." She tore into a chicken wing, trying not to look his way as she ate. He looked too happy. Like this was really making his day. It made her wonder just what kind of fight he had been in to need a girly, lovey-dovey manga to cheer him up. "So what happened?"

"Oh. Right." His cheerful expression fell and he set the pages down. Crossing his arms behind his head, he sighed. "I met with Endeavor today. And everything was good, but then a Nomu showed up and then Dabi got involved. Endeavor got pretty messed up."

_It sounds like he's describing a nightmare he had; hanging out with his idol and then it all goes to shit. Still sounds better than my nightmares. _However Yori knew it was true. She could recognize that look in his eyes as he went into more detail. Guilt. It was something she knew well. Something that resurfaced and ate away at her frequently.

Her caretaker instincts kicked in again. Yori bit the inside of her cheek and reached over, placing a hand on his arm. Since he had brought her to his apartment, Yori had been pretty distant due to her past traumas and the fact that her trust in him was still really shaky. She never touched him. She tried to keep a good distance from him. Tonight, she pushed past her unease to comfort him.

Yori saw him relax slightly and leaned over, wrapping her arms around the hero. "It's okay…you didn't know that would happen," she whispered. Her eyes widened when she felt him hugging back, clinging tightly for a second before loosening his hold a little. _He's really upset about what happened to Endeavor_, she realized. _How long was he holding this back?_

"Thanks. You know, you really are a pretty good support," he said in an almost teasing way. As if he was trying to reassure her that everything was fine. "At least he's got a really cool scar now."

She drew away and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because scars are _so cool_," she muttered. Her tails, forearms, and legs were covered in a variety of scars and she knew he was aware of it.

Hawks rubbed the back of his head, half-grinning at her sarcasm. "Anyway. Sorry I was late. I can make it up to you. Want to go for a ride after my feathers grow back?"

Yori paled and drew further away. She was absolutely terrified of heights and he knew it. She had fainted when he swept her up from that alley and flew her to his apartment. "Not a chance in hell." Again, he seemed cheered up by her sassy retort. The ex-villain shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "You could…get me a gift or something…"

He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "You still haven't opened the last one."

"What? I opened the clothes and art supplies."

"No; the little one," he replied, nodding toward the small box at the corner of the coffee table. The small, gift-wrapped box that he brought home a while ago.

Having not even realized that it was for her, Yori reached for it and promptly tore away the paper to reveal what could easily be construed as a threat. Though she doubted that Hawks intended for it to be a threat; he probably genuinely expected her to enjoy a box "baby scorpion bark candy".

_Baby scorpions._ Yori glanced over at Hawks, seeing that he wore an expectant stare. She hesitantly opened the box and drew out a piece of bark. It was broken in half and she offered him one piece, which he happily accepted. Yori took a bite of the strange candy, and chewed. It was crunchy, but sweet. However, it was still baby scorpions that dotted it like crispy rice pieces.

Meanwhile, Hawks was enjoying his piece as he looked through the manga pages again. "I won't be working tomorrow since I have to heal. I think if we work on it enough, we can probably get this first volume finished by the end of the day."

Listening to the crunch of baby scorpions and candy beneath his teeth made her wince. She set her piece down and drew her knees against her chest, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "So…? What happens after that?"

"I'll take it to a publisher for you and we'll try to get it printed. It's a pretty good step away from being a villain if we can make you a published manga writer. It'll be like you're becoming a whole new person."


	5. Chapter 5

NeonHorizon: Grayscale. Final name is Tsukihara Nozomi. I mean, she's trying to start over. Yori was a villain. Nozomi is just a sweet manga artist that's afraid of heights.

* * *

"Tsukihara Nozomi sounds cool, right?" Hawks stared down at his roommate expectantly. He had spent all day trying to think of a good name and that was, by far, his favorite. Mostly because it just sounded like the name of a manga artist. Not to mention that the other names just failed to flow as smoothly.

The ex-villain lifted her gaze from the sketchbook, raising an eyebrow. "Hm? The characters all have names already."

He saw her push up her glasses with one finger as her tails twitched in irritation beside her. After living together for a few weeks and watching her like a hawk, he was becoming pretty good at reading her moods and what certain movements of her tails meant. Like how they twirled around each other when she was super flustered. Or how they swatted against the couch or wall when she was frustrated. He was starting to really enjoy having a roommate.

Hawks held up the plastic shopping bag and shook it a little, grinning. "I meant for _you_. You need an alias for your new identity."

"What are you chirping on about?" She winced, as if regretting her choice of words. The pale-haired girl looked away when he leaned down closer.

"Well, you can't submit a manuscript as "Grayscale" or whatever your name was. You need a new name. And a new look~" He shook the bag again and nodded toward the bathroom. "Meet me in there in a few minutes."

The hero stripped off his jacket as he walked to his room and tossed it onto the bed, beginning to unbuckle his belt with his back to the open doorway. His wings rustled softly as he moved and when he had put on some comfortable clothes, he grabbed one of his old shirts and carried it with him to the bathroom. All the while, a big smile was in place on his mouth.

It would be an understatement to say that Hawks had been excited about this. It had been on his mind all day and it took all of his self-control to not hurry home to start early. _What was her name though?_ He rubbed at his chin while he waited for her to put on the old shirt, standing outside of the bathroom. _Yuri? Yuki? Miyuki? Mayumi? Was it Yumi?_

When she opened the door, she looked irritated. As if she would rather be working on her manga than doing whatever it was that Hawks had planned. To be fair, he had yet to actually explain himself to her. "So what are we-? Hey!" She snarled when he pulled her glasses off and her tails swished back and forth. "I _need_ those," she grumbled.

"You're fine!" He saw her lift a hand toward her neck and quickly caught her wrist with his free hand. "None of that, okay?" He kept his tone gentle, but firm when he said this. The hero leaned in closer so she could see the stern look on his face. "Okay?"

"Tch." She lowered her hand and he released her wrist. "So…you said something about a new identity? What exactly are you thinking?"

His expression brightened again and he held up the plastic bag from before, his wings flapping once in his excitement. "Ta-da! I got a box of hair dye and some sunglass clips for your glasses."

Her eyes narrowed slightly and she crossed her arms. "What kind of birdbrained scheme…?" she murmured.

"Hey. I was really excited about this," he half-pouted. "I'm not letting you dampen my feathers. Look, if we color your hair, we can go out." He saw her tails sway a bit with excitement. "You know, it'd be fun to go out for dinner, right? How about this? You let me do your hair and I'll take you out for dinner tonight."

**Shift P.O.V**

_I don't understand him. I really don't._ Yori sighed, running her fingers through her snow-white hair and deciding that it might not be so bad. She had colored her hair before with temporary color spray; this was just more permanent. _If I let him do this, I can start going outside. I won't be stuck in here all the time._

She attempted a half-smile, but it inadvertently looked kind of menacing. "I guess…just call me "Nozomi"."

Hawks grinned so brightly that it made her wince. "Alright. So I should probably read the instructions first…"

_New identity…_Now that Hawks had brought up changing her appearance and name, it felt more real than before. Like redemption was actually within her grasp. As if she might really be able to recover from her past and start over.

Hawks began the process of coloring her hair, the instructions sitting crumpled up on the edge of the bathroom sink. It was pretty clear that he was having fun with this. "We can go out more now. So that's pretty cool. What do you want to do the most, Nozomi-chan?"

_Nozomi…_She bit the inside of her cheek and shrugged. "I guess, maybe, it would be cool to go to a book store. I want to get some manga to read."

His reflection grinned behind hers in the mirror. "Oh yeah! You probably need some research material, right? We can go to a book store on Sunday." The hero finished adding the color and leaned back against the wall, planning to wait with her while it set. "I have to work pretty much every day this week." This was said in a slightly frustrated way and his eyes narrowed a bit.

She was anxious to leave the apartment, but also fearful. It had been weeks since she was last outside. The thought of going out there and potentially crossing paths with a hero or, worse yet, a member of the League of Villains, made her stomach twist in knots. A hero would take her to prison. She had no idea how the League of Villains would react to finding her; it could be good or bad.

Needless to say, she stayed close to his side when they went out. With her new hair color, she did look pretty different. White-haired ex-villain Yori was gone and replaced by blonde manga artist Nozomi. She mouthed the name as she walked alongside him out of the building.

Hawks gripped her hand tightly, smiling now that they were out in the open. There was a certain mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he looked up at the starry night sky. "So what do you think? Want to get some yakitori? I know a good place."

_Always yakitori. But…at least he seems pretty happy._ She shrugged, wanting to play cool despite her absolute unease at being out in the open. "Yakitori sounds good," she agreed. If she had been looking up from the sidewalk, she would have seen the way he grinned. She might even have had time to back away quickly.

Since she was looking down, she was taken completely by surprise when Hawks scooped her up in his arms. Both of her arms wrapped around his neck, clinging tightly as he abruptly became airborne. As soon as she felt the rush of air blowing through her hair, she began to tremble.

Few things could terrify her the way that heights could. As a villain, she was able to avoid situations where she had to be too far off the ground. It had never really been a problem until she met Hawks. Now he was the only thing between her and a horrific, death-dealing impact with the street far below them.

The hero's grin only grew as he felt her arms tighten around him, her face burying in the space between his neck and shoulder. "Hey, it's fine, Nozomi-chan. Look! You're missing the view from up here; it's awesome!"

"P…put me down…" she mumbled, heart racing and tears swiftly forming in her eyes. "Put me down, put me down, put me down! I can't…_stand it_…being up this high! I _hate_ it! I don't want to die! Put me down! PUT ME DOWN!"

He felt her start to thrash and tightened his hold on her. "Nozomi-chan, calm down! You're going to make me drop you!"

"Put me down, put me down, put me down!" Panicky, high-pitched wheezing could be heard coming from beside his ear as her thoughts filled with the terrible sight below her.

Hawks, wanting to just get them to where he planned to take her for dinner, began flying forward instead of continuing to hover. He could feel her still squirming in his arms, but refused to loosen his hold. On one hand, he knew that her fear was perfectly rational. On the other hand, he wanted her to get over her fear so they could go out more. It was just easier for him to fly with her instead of trying to navigate the sidewalks while keeping her face hidden.

"I…I'm so…scared…I don't even know what to say…" She could feel her tears sliding down her cheeks and dotting the hero's jacket. Her nails were digging into the back of his jacket, doubtlessly leaving marks.

In her panic, she lost control of her tails. In his haste to get dinner, Hawks had failed to wear any sort of protective gear. When her tails wrapped around his left leg, he had only a brief second to even notice before her stingers pierced the fabric of his pants and into his flesh. Hawks jolted at the sensation, his vision quickly going blurry and colorless as his heart carried her venom through his veins.

His moment of panic, his abrupt jolt of alarm, had caused his hold on her to slip. Hawks blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision as he saw her plummeting toward the ground far below. She stared up at him, the wind blowing through her hair wildly as she sped downward toward the concrete. Her lips parted, issuing a horrific scream as she fell.

He started after her, hands reaching for her frantically to try to stop her descent. His vision was still blurry, but he saw the look of utter despair on her pale face and it, in turn, brought on his own despair. She waved her arms, trying to grab for him, but he was too far away. The ground was coming toward her fast.

**Shift P.O.V**

The past few nights, he had begun to patrol in different areas. Since the usual area turned up no new sightings, it only made sense to try to move on. Though he had a nagging feeling that she would emerge again now that he had stopped searching in that neighborhood.

Aizawa rubbed at his eyes, grimacing to himself. He was beyond tired and considered calling it a night early. If he did, he might actually get a decent amount of sleep for the night and possibly even function like a normal person the next day. _I can't give up_, he thought with a grumble. _It would be the one night she went out._

He looked down over the edge of the building, watching passerby and scanning for a woman in her mid-twenties. A woman with long, straight pale hair. A woman with glasses and two tails, with stingers. It was extremely unlikely that he would cross paths with her that night. It would have to be fate for that to happen.

A hoarse scream was heard off to his right and Aizawa moved on pure instinct. His capture weapon wrapped around the nearest light post and he was soon swinging through the air to catch the damsel that was hurtling toward the concrete. An arm wrapped around the slender young woman to hold her steady as he found a safe place to set her down, but she had both arms tightly wrapped around his neck already.

She was sobbing, trembling, clinging to him even after he had set them both down on solid ground. It should have felt awkward to have a complete stranger hold him and cry. A blonde stranger, wearing a men's jacket with slits in the back. A blonde stranger that had a pair of white tails that were tipped with curved, black stingers.

His eyes widened when he saw this and both hands gripped her shoulders to pry her away from him. Long, messy locks of blonde hair were falling over her pale face and glasses, but Aizawa knew those sharp amber eyes anywhere. His pulse skipped a beat as he stared down at her.

She seemed to take a moment to register who he was, still coming out of the shock of nearly dying. When she realized who he was and that this was not a dream, she took a step back and flushed bright red. "…Sh-Shouta…?!"

"Where have you been?! Do you have any idea how long I looked for you? Why is this the way I have to find you again? Just what do you think you're doing?" he began scolding her.

When he finished his rant, she bowed her head and pushed up her glasses. "I…it's…complicated," she mumbled.

"In what way?" he demanded through gritted teeth. The man's grip on her shoulders tightened and he pulled her forward sharply. She stumbled forward, falling against his chest, and he slid his arms around her before she could put distance between them again.

Not knowing if there were villains nearby, he decided that he had to get her away from the area as soon as possible. That was when he heard the flapping of wings. His arms tightened around her as the winged hero landed a little ways down the sidewalk. Aizawa's eyes narrowed upon him, not exactly thinking clearly in his extremely sleep-deprived state.

"Hey, Eraserhead. Thanks for catching her; she got loose and…" It became apparent that Hawks was aware of the fact that Aizawa had recognized her. He rubbed the back of his neck, half-grinning. "Nozomi-chan and I were on our way to dinner. Why don't we talk about this tomorrow, yeah? I can-"

"She's coming with me. I don't know who you're trying to fool by calling her "Nozomi". I know who she is." Aizawa would know her anywhere. Even now, feeling her trembling against him, he was remembering how he had held her in the past.

"You say that, but…" Hawks pushed his hands into his pockets and took a few steps toward them, head tilting and an eyebrow raising. "How're you going to explain it to people? She's a wanted villain." He paused a few steps away from them, holding out a hand toward the woman. "I'm rehabilitating her so I have to keep an eye on her. Why don't we talk about this tomorrow, Eraserhead?"


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm home!"

She winced at the silence-shattering call from Hawks and lifted her gaze from the sketchbook. Pushing up her glasses, she looked him up and down. He was carrying a plastic bag with takeout boxes in it; indicating that he had no plans to go out again for the rest of the day.

Three days had passed since her reunion with Aizawa and every time she thought about it, she felt a spark of something she had not felt in a long time. She was reminded of when she took care of him, after the USJ attack. She remembered living with him afterwards and waking up next to him every morning. Working together, eating together. She had felt happy and like she really had a place in the world.

"I thought you were going to talk to Aizawa," she commented. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him tilt his head curiously. "You _said_…you had plans to explain to him. So? It's been a few days. Or are you _chickening out_?"

Hawks frowned and rubbed at the back of his head, his wings pushing back a bit almost in a shrugging motion. "I'll get around to it," he muttered. "Look, I got something special for dinner." He set the bag down on the table in front of the couch and cocked his head to the other side as he caught sight of her sketches. "Are you already planning volume two?"

"…they haven't even said "yes" to volume one…" The previous day, Hawks had set off for his hero work with her manuscript in hand and a promise to deliver it for her. Nozomi grimaced, tapping her pencil against the paper as she looked down again. "I'm just working on some character concept art."

He leaned down, staring intently at the page. Particularly at a figure wearing a hooded sweatshirt. The figure had a mole beneath one side of their lower lip and their lips were horribly scarred and dry-looking. "I talked to Dabi today. He said they're still looking for you. Pretty lucky none of them saw what happened the other day, huh? Maybe it's better if you don't go out again for a while."

Her tails lifted and smacked against the couch in irritation. "You shouldn't have started flying."

"It would've been fine if you had control over those tails," he argued.

"I have a fear of heights! You _knew_ that!"

His eyes narrowed and the hero gripped the armrest beside her. His other hand planted against the cushion she was leaning against and he leaned down, face stopping just a few inches from hers. "The more people that know, the more dangerous this is. If anyone else finds out that you're here, they might not be as cool about it as Eraserhead was. You want to go to prison?"

She hated it, but having him get this close to her and speaking to her in such a threatening way, brought back bad memories. Nozomi started to tremble and her teeth sank into the inside of her cheek. The girl's glasses slid down a little, eyes locked onto his.

_No…no, no, no!_ She blinked rapidly and jolted back, fear coursing through her and making her wrap her arms around herself. Nails dug into her arms through her sleeves as she shook her head, trying desperately to shake away the memory of Overhaul standing over her.

"…Chi…sa…ki…" she mumbled, a hand reaching toward her neck. Frantic scratching began as her tails smacked against the couch anxiously again and again. "Chisaki, Chisaki, Chisaki…no…no…! Keep back…" She closed her eyes, trying to keep tears at bay as she recalled one of the most traumatic moments of her life so far.

"Nozomi-chan? Hey, you're okay. You're fine. It's Overhaul, right? He's not here." Hawks moved closer, gently taking her wrists to try to get her to stop scratching herself. Her fingertips were already bloody. "Nozomi-chan, stop!"

"I can't…dead birds…just die! Just die! I just want to…die! I need…something…I'm so angry…I don't even…know what to say…!"

"NOZOMI!"

She was yanked forward sharply, off of the couch cushion and turning forcefully. Bright red wings pressed tight against her back, pushing her against the hero that was now sitting with his back against the armrest. She blinked and stared down into the narrowed eyes of Hawks. His mouth was twisted into a grimace as he looked back at her.

"What…? What happened? Why are we-?" Nozomi felt hands press against the back of her shoulders, pushing her tighter against him. _What is he doing? He never gets this close. What happened? My neck feels wet. Why does it hurt so much? _She felt a gooey sensation on her fingertips and it made her stomach turn.

"Tomorrow, okay? Just…stop doing that."

Nozomi was held in place for a while longer, until Hawks was satisfied that she was finished clawing at her own flesh. She let him take care of her neck wounds, but she was confused. There was a blank in her memory. She remembered him leaning in really close and then she was suddenly being held, with his wings wrapped around her.

**Shift P.O.V**

_He's going to ruin it._ Hawks stared up at his ceiling as he contemplated how he would explain the situation to Eraserhead. The hero did not want to lose his roommate. She was interesting and entertaining. He had gotten used to coming home to her after work. No matter what kind of day he had had, she always had a way of making him feel better. Comforted on bad days, entertained on boring days. He was starting to understand why those villains had latched onto her.

However, he knew that it could end soon. Eraserhead was a straight-laced, no-nonsense kind of hero. Someone that would be more likely to take her to prison than to let this continue.

The thought of just blowing it off for longer was appealing. He really had no desire to lose his roommate and even less desire to have to explain himself to someone. However, seeing Nozomi tear open her own skin in a frantic, distressed state, made him feel almost sick.

There was no romantic feelings towards her, but he hated to see her that upset. Worse yet was when he heard what she was saying to herself. Talking about wanting to die. It left him unsettled.

He left his room, walking quietly into the other room and peering over the edge of the couch. She was curled up on her side beneath a blanket, her stingers poking out from beneath the cover and her face relaxed into a calm expression. However, he noted the dried tears on her cheeks and the dark blood spots on the bandages he had put on her neck. He had to do something for her.

**Shift P.O.V**

She gripped the hero's hand, actually being really glad that he was there. As frustrating as he was sometimes, she truly valued the support he offered. Nozomi was terrified throughout the flight to the school dorms and now, as they walked along a corridor to meet with Aizawa, she could feel her heart racing. Her stomach twisted in fearful knots.

It had been a long while since she was anywhere near UA. She remembered her last encounter with a student and winced. Her free hand subconsciously pressed at the deep scars on the left side of her abdomen. _Deep breaths. Everything will be okay._

Hawks reached over and grabbed her wrist, stopping her hand from reaching her neck. He frowned down at the girl and shook his head. "Do I need to get you a cone or something?"

"You…don't like to see me hurt myself? So would you prefer it if I just pluck out your feathers?" she muttered. _Wait. That…sounds familiar. Why?_

He grinned, wings stretching out at his sides. "Awww. You want to preen me? I've got some loose ones you can pull."

A door opened down the corridor and a cat came sprinting toward them at full speed. Nozomi's eyes widened at the sight of the black and white blob and released the hero's hand. She ran to meet the cat and held open her arms to let him jump up. "Panda!"

"Panda, wait!" The small voice came from the open doorway and the little girl appeared just in time to see Panda land in Nozomi's arms and nuzzle against her face. Eri stared for a moment, appearing a little frightened until she saw the two pale tails that swayed behind the young woman.

Nozomi paused in her reunion with the cat and felt her breath catch in her throat. _Eri-chan?! She's here in the dorms?_ Taking a few steps forward, she tilted her head and tried to determine what to do or say. She was relieved to see that the child was alright. When she last saw her, it was in the Shie Hassaikai base and the little girl was confined to her room most of the time. She had been living in near-constant despair and fear.

Now Eri ventured forward a few steps, staring intently at the swaying tails and then looking to see how Panda was enthusiastically cuddling against the young woman's face. When their eyes finally met, the girl's red gaze turned watery and she ran forward. Her thin arms wrapped around Nozomi in a tight hug and she buried her face in her magenta hooded sweatshirt.

Nozomi's heart was beating at an insane pace, her chest feeling tight. She pressed a hand against Eri's back in a half-hug, being careful not to drop the cat. Her throat felt tight, her vision blurring with tears as she looked down at the child. _What do I do? What can I say? I'm just…so glad she's alright._

"Y-Yo-!"

"Yo to you, too, kid!" Hawks interrupted. He gave Panda a wary glance before putting a hand on Nozomi's shoulder.

She felt the girl cling tighter to her, shaking a little. _He's scaring her._ Nozomi's caretaker instincts kicked in and she crouched down to be at eye level with Eri. She used the hem of her sleeve to wipe away the child's tears and smiled. "It's okay. Eri-chan, he's a hero."

"Hero…?" She glanced from her old caretaker to Hawks and back. "Did he…save you, Yor-?"

"Yeah, I saved Nozomi-chan from some bad guys," he agreed, grinning.

"Nozomi?"

"She's a manga artist, aren't you, Nozomi-chan?" Hawks looked down at the blonde ex-villain with a bit of expectance.

"That's right. Do you like manga, Eri-chan?" Not waiting for any kind of further interference from Hawks, she let Panda down onto the floor and lifted Eri to carry her.

The little girl was startled at first, but quickly recovered and hugged her. "Manga…?" she repeated, having clearly never read manga.

"She'll have to give you a copy of hers," Hawks commented. "Nozomi-chan can even autograph it for you."

"Autograph?"

"It makes it extra special."

Nozomi was still trying to recover from that burst of happiness at seeing the child again. She held onto her gently, but still securely so there was no risk of dropping her by accident. When she saw Aizawa appear in the doorway, along with at least three cats, she felt her heart skip a beat.

He came forward to take Eri from her and led the way into his living area. It was a Sunday so there were no classes. A few students had approached them in the halls on their way to this area, but they seemed to not recognize Nozomi as their former assistant homeroom teacher.

_He's been taking care of Eri-chan?_ This idea made her heart seem to swell with joy. The thought of him taking care of the child somehow made her pulse skip a beat and it sent a warmth rushing through her. Not only was he taking care of the child, but the little girl seemed content. She was in much better shape than when she was with Overhaul and she was even wearing an adorable new outfit.

The door was closed and now the two heroes, small child, and ex-villain were alone in the room. Aizawa set Eri down and turned his tired gaze to the other two. "So explain yourself," he stated bluntly.

Before she could speak, an arm went around her shoulders and pulled her close. Hawks beamed up at the taller hero and announced, "This my Nozomi-chan. She's a manga artist."

"A manga artist?" Aizawa's voice held heavy skepticism.

She actually felt a little embarrassed until she saw Eri tug at his sleeve and ask if she could read Nozomi's manga. "It hasn't been published, but I can tell you the story, Eri-chan."

"Oh? You want to do that while I explain to Eraserhead?" Hawks flashed her a grin. "Go ahead. I'll let you know when we have to go."

"I can…hear the story?" Eri approached her, wearing a curious expression.

"Eri-chan, it's…really not that good. Let me tell you a different story, okay? I'll tell you about a bird that tried to eat a scorpion." She saw Eri's eyes go wide before the child nodded.

The young woman sat with Eri and the cats, basically telling her about the she had stung Hawks while he was flying. The moral of the story was that the bird should have left the scorpion alone. It was as the story came to an end that she realized Hawks was gone.

Aizawa approached, frowning. "You're staying here until tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

The last time he saw her, it was in an alley. She was accompanied by a member of the League of Villains and she was jabbing one of her stingers into his shoulder to inject her venom into him. As he remembered this, he rubbed at his shoulder and frowned.

Before that encounter, his last time to see her had been at the summer training camp. Just hours before the League of Villains reclaimed her as theirs. Aizawa remembered how she had helped with coaching the students as they trained, how happy she had seemed, how confident she was.

This person that he was now looking at was different from that person. Not just because of the hair color, either. Her movements were a little off. She seemed jumpy each time he came close and there was a particular sadness in her eyes sometimes when she looked at Eri. As if she was remembering something horrible. Something painful, devastating.

"So why manga?" he finally asked, settling on the couch beside her.

Nozomi jumped when he sat next to her and started to nervously pick at the skin around her nails. "I mean, why not? Everyone likes manga. Why not make something that everyone will like?"

_Is that really what she thinks?_ It was still hard for Aizawa to imagine her making that huge of a career change. He looked around her to Eri, who was sitting on her other side with a notepad and pen that Nozomi had given her. "What are you drawing?"

The child held up the paper. "I…drew you and Nozomi-chan."

It was at this moment that a certain realization set in. The way they were sitting together, the fact that Eri was now adding herself to the drawing; this was like a weird little family. Aizawa grimaced and slouched forward, letting his hair fall over his face.

There was no way that he would tell her that thought popped into his head. Not that it was any of her business anyway. Honestly, he was unsure of what to do or say. He had been searching for her for weeks and now that she was sitting beside him, Aizawa was at a loss for words.

It had taken a decent amount of intimidation and persuasion to make the winged hero leave Nozomi behind. It was pretty clear that he had become attached to the ex-villain. He had pouted and argued, but Aizawa's stubbornness paid off. Though he would be back early the next day to collect her.

Eri held up her drawing and smiled when Nozomi complimented it. The ex-villain ran her fingers through her hair and frowned. "Nozomi-chan?"

"Your hair's kind of tangled. Here, do you have a brush? Do you want me to braid it for you?"

"Go get your brush," Aizawa told her, giving the child a nod. He watched her go off to her room to get it and turned his attention back to Nozomi. "So why blonde?"

She smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder, nearly making her glasses fly off her face. "You don't _love_ it, Shouta~? You mean I didn't make your heart skip a beat when you saw these gorgeous golden-?" She jolted away, her smirk crumbling to a fearful frown when he reached toward her. "N-no. Please don't. Please. No…no, no…"

Hearing her speak in this almost whimpering fashion made his frown deepen. "Hiyori-" He saw her shake her head vehemently, blonde hair swaying side to side as she did this. Her fingers sank into her hair and her shoulders began to tremble. "Hiyori."

"Heh…heheh…" Lifting her gaze, it became apparent that her eyes were filling with tears. The young woman's amber eyes shone wetly as she stared up at him, a shaky and fearful smile plastered on her face. "Shouta. You shouldn't talk about your ex."

"Nozomi-chan?" Eri was entering the room again and saw the ex-villain wiping at her eyes. The little girl's eyes filled with tears as well as she approached. "Nozomi-chan, are you…okay…?"

"I'm fine, Eri-chan. Okay, so, braids, right?"

Aizawa could see that she was still trembling and it pained him to see this. Clearly, something horrible had happened to her to make her react this way to him getting close. _I don't even want to think about what happened, but this isn't right. I've never seen her look this afraid._

Knowing that trying to drag the details from her would only cause her more pain, he determined not to push her. He would just be cautious and try not to do anything that would upset the ex-villain. Which just caused him more pain because what he really wanted to do was hold her.

**Shift P.O.V**

Nozomi tried not to let Eri notice how unsettled she was. After all, she was happy to see the little girl. Nothing could compare to the joy she felt when she saw that Eri was being taken care of and that the girl was content.

However, seeing Eri also brought back some absolutely horrific memories from her time with Overhaul. It took all of her self-control to not break down in front of the child and Aizawa. Her admiration for the hero had been rekindled when she saw him taking care of Eri so that it made it all the more upsetting to realize that he was unable to get near her without reminding her of Overhaul.

Her hands shook as she braided Eri's long, pale hair and she kept a smile on her face, trying to seem stronger than she felt. _I'm safe_, she told herself. _I'm alright. Overhaul…can't even touch me anymore. I'm alright. I'm…_

"Nozomi-chan…are you…really okay…?"

She sniffed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "No, I'm…I'm not okay," she mumbled, lifting a hand to rub at her eyes behind her glasses. "I'm sorry, Eri-chan. Heh. I'm an adult; I shouldn't be acting like this, huh? It's pretty funny, right? I'm crying like a baby!"

Eri stared up at her and then reached out with the hem of her sleeve to wipe at the woman's eyes. "It's okay…to not be okay." She glanced toward Aizawa and then threw her arms around the ex-villain.

Nozomi's eyes widened and she gently patted the child on the back. "…thanks, Eri-chan…you know, you're awesome."

"I'm…awesome?"

"Yeah!" She leaned back and grinned. "It means you're the coolest!" Seeing the child's eyes seem to sparkle with amazement, she felt a little better. "You're even cooler than Shouta and he's pretty cool." Nozomi caught the way his eyes widened slightly before he turned away and rubbed the back of his neck.

_I forgot how cute he looks when he's flustered._ It was almost enough to make her blush. Almost, but not quite. "Okay! What do you want to do now, Eri-chan? We can do whatever you want. We could play a game or we could draw or we could name the three cats that I never got around to naming."

**Shift P.O.V**

"You look pissed off."

Hawks raised his eyebrows, head cocked to the side. "What?" He had spaced off a little while Dabi was talking. His mind had wandered from the League of Villains' activities to what his roommate might be doing.

The villain smirked and leaned down toward him. "You're distracted."

He tugged at the collar of his jacket, pulling it up and hiding the lower half of his face. Hiding his frown. "I don't know you're talking about."

"Huh." Dabi leaned back again and pushed his hands into his pockets. He acted like it was uninteresting, but there was a spark of curiosity in his eyes. "So any news about Grayscale?"

"Grayscale? Oh! Nope, nothing." Hawks felt himself tense up after hearing that name, but tried to hide it. He was usually pretty good at hiding it if he was unnerved by something, but now he was struggling a little. _It's just because she's not at home_, he told himself. _I'd be fine if she was just waiting at home for me. Why did Eraserhead want her to stay so badly? What am I going to do if he won't give her back? There goes my fun._

Watching the winged hero kick at a pebble, a forlorn sort of look to his eyes, Dabi seemed to come to a conclusion on his own. He decided to press further to see if he could get any more information. "You'd think they'd at least find a corpse or something. I bet she's in Tartarus. Someone probably caught her and they just didn't announce it."

The word "corpse" of course forced him to imagine his roommate lying dead in an alley and he frowned. Hawks ruffled his wind-blown golden locks. He imagined her lying lifeless, blood running from her mouth and speckled on her glasses. Her dyed blonde hair falling across her face as her fair skin grew paler, colder.

"You really think someone like her would die or get caught? She's a scorpion," Hawks protested. "Have you ever eaten a scorpion? They're pretty tough."

"The leader's getting desperate to find her."

He felt a slight increase in his pulse when he heard this and he smiled, head tilting to the other side. "Yeah? Well, if you find her, let me know. I want to see her again."

"I thought you didn't care."

"What? She's cute. Besides…" Hawks licked his lips and met Dabi's gaze. "I wanna see if she tastes like a real scorpion." He had absolutely no romantic feelings toward her, of course. Nozomi was just a source of companionship and entertainment. He just disliked the idea of her getting taken away from him.

**Shift P.O.V**

Panda struggled, trying to get free from Aizawa as the creature was lifted off of Eri's bed. It was late and the little girl was trying to sleep, but the cat desperately wanted to sleep on her pillow. Aizawa had to more or less put the cat over his shoulder before starting for the door.

He paused in the doorway, still holding the chubby black and white cat. Nozomi had dozed off while telling Eri a story, slumped over beside the little girl with her head bowed and blonde hair hanging over her face. He stared for a long moment, contemplating what he should do.

A part of him wanted to wake her up and bring her to his room to sleep. That same part of him wanted to try to rebuild the relationship he had once had with her. The dominant, logical part of him knew that he should leave her alone. After the way she reacted when he sat next to her, he knew that sleeping beside her was out of the question. The last thing he wanted was to see her revert back to that trembling, mumbling person he saw earlier.

Aizawa set the cat down outside of the room and pulled the door closed. Lingering there, he frowned and closed his eyes. He had seen the bandages on Nozomi's neck, darkened in some spots with blood. A feeling in his gut told him that whatever wounds were beneath the bandages were self-inflicted.

He sighed in frustration and began walking away from Eri's door. He wanted to do something for Nozomi, but there was little he could do for her. It seemed as though her winged rehabilitator had done everything for her to help her restart her life. All without any help from Aizawa.

Panda followed him as he strode down the hallway, meowing after him and soon being joined by a few more cats. He normally would have crouched down to pet them. Usually they could bring him comfort and help him clear his head, but not now.

He was nearing his door when he heard Eri's door open. The hero paused and tensed when running footsteps approached him. Aizawa felt a sudden weight against his back accompanied by arms wrapping around his waist and a pair of tails coiling loosely around his right leg. "Nozomi?"

"Don't…touch. Please. Just…just let me…work through this, okay?" She pressed her face into his back, tails tightening a little. "I…_missed_ you…Shouta." Her hands pressed against his chest, her body trembling. "I'm so happy to see you…I don't even know what to say…and it hurts because I can't…I can't let you touch me. It took me a while to even trust Hawks. Just…be patient. Please."

He looked at the scarred, pale hands that were pressed to his chest and felt a pain in his heart. She sounded distressed when she begged for him to be patient with her and it made him realize that she had every intention of rekindling what they had before. It might be a slow process, but she wanted what he wanted.

Nozomi's right hand lowered from his chest and she laced her fingers with his. Her breathing hitched at her own actions and the stingers on her tails felt almost as if they vibrated in anticipation. "I'm sorry that I'm like this." The ex-villain's voice was normally hoarse and quiet, but now it sounded strained. As if she was struggling not to cry.

He wanted to turn around and embrace her, but he stopped himself. As much as he hated to hold back. As much as he wanted to show her how much he had missed her. How pleased he was that she was alive and well. Instead, he held very still and let her fidget with his fingers. "If you need something-"

"Shouta. I know." There was a pause as she hugged him. "Thank you."

_I have to do whatever I can. I have to help her heal._ Determining to help her regain her courage and strength, he found comfort in the way her fingers slipped between his. It was a good start.


	8. Chapter 8

NeonHorizon: Hooray for FRIENDSHIP!

* * *

"There you are! Ready to get some breakfast?"

Nozomi looked over her shoulder toward the dorm, feeling a melancholic longing. She wanted to stay with Aizawa and Eri, but she knew that she had to go back with Hawks. For one, he might be supporting her rehabilitation and he might be acting like he was her friend, but he was still capable of putting her in prison. For two, she wanted to work on herself more so that the next time she saw them, no one would feel bad.

"You're treating?" she asked, approaching the winged hero waiting for her outside. Though she knew the answer already.

"Hey, maybe when your manga starts selling, you can take me out," he joked. Hawks looked past her at the dorm. The sun was still just barely peeking up from the horizon. Most of the students were still asleep. He knew he had to get her back home soon.

"My manga…" Nozomi half-grinned at the words. "Sure. Maybe I'll treat you to some yakitori when I sell my first copy."

"Huh? Well that'd be a waste." He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "I mean, that first copy's gonna be mine anyway."

Somehow, the thought of her roommate actually buying a copy of her manga made her just a bit flustered. Her tails swayed side to side and she pushed up her glasses. Stepping around Hawks, she started walking down the pathway. "So were you _lonely_ without me yesterday?" she taunted.

The man perked up a little and trotted after her to catch up. "Of course I was! It got pretty boring when I got home, you know. And you know what else? Eating alone kinda sucks."

"You don't say." She smirked, feeling a little like her old self. Bantering, joking around. It made her feel whole again. "I'm surprised you didn't ask your idol out for dinner. You missed your chance since I'm back now."

"Nah. Endeavor's got his own stuff going on; I didn't wanna bother him." He grinned and linked his arm with hers as they walked. "What about you? Have fun playing house last night? Did you and Eraserhead-?"

"Stop." Nozomi lowered her gaze, a tremor running through her limbs and a tightening sensation forming around her heart. Her free hand lifted, running through golden tresses as she tried to keep herself from remembering the dread she felt when Aizawa reached for her. The guilt that had eaten away at her for the hours afterwards. "I can't…you know I can't…get too close. It takes time."

He tilted his head curiously, wings giving a gentle flap behind him as he realized how much pain she was in. It was difficult to look at so he tipped his head back and looked up at the starless, early morning sky. "Yeah. Sorry, Nozomi-chan. Didn't mean to drag that up. Hey, but you're doing pretty well now! You're a lot better than when I picked you up. You're trying really hard. I'm proud of you." The last two sentences were said in a softer, gentler tone that made her bow her head.

"Thanks." Shaking out of her melancholic mood, she decided to redirect her attention. "So what are you getting me for breakfast? Better make it something good to make up for that haphazard flight yesterday."

"What? I was careful," he argued.

**Shift P.O.V**

"You're in a good mood today. Did something happen?"

Aizawa was not smiling. He had not smiled at all during the day. So he was unsure of why Yamada thought he was in a good mood. Although he did feel just a little better. He had slept better that night than he had in a while. Mostly because he had not gone out to search for Grayscale.

"Nothing happened," he muttered, trudging along down the hallway.

"What?! C'mon! You've got a spring in your step and everything! What is it? What happened?" the blond persisted.

He scowled and lowered his head, letting his long, messy black hair fall over his face. "It's none of your business. Just stop."

Aizawa continued on down the corridor, walking at a brisk pace. Classes had ended for the day. He was going back to the dorms to see Eri and he knew what she was going to ask. The question had not been asked that morning before he left, but he knew she wanted to know just as badly as he did. _When is Nozomi coming back?_

Hawks had explained it to him. He had basically abducted her off the street and saved her from the League of Villains. Only he, and now Aizawa and Eri, knew where Grayscale was. He was trying to help her restart her life and leave her dark past behind her, trying to help her overcome her traumas. It all sounded noble enough. However, Aizawa could sense something a bit "off" about his claim that he was her rehabilitator.

The way he talked about her. The way he continued to glance over at her when he was explaining himself. She had been with Eri, telling her a story, when this happened so she failed to notice it, but Aizawa was irked by it. Something about the winged hero's actions told him that this was not as simple as Hawks was trying to make it sound. He was keeping a secret.

"Nozomi…?" Eri gave him a curious look when he returned, greeting him with Panda hugged to her chest like a plush toy. The chubby cat seemed to not mind in the least; appearing rather pleased. At her side was the hairless cat Gremlin, who was dutifully following her around like a tiny, bald bodyguard.

Aizawa stared down at the weird trio for a moment and released a quiet sigh. He pushed his hair back from his face, trying to decide what to tell her. She seemed to realize that Nozomi was not going to visit again for a while and her mouth fell to the saddest frown he had ever seen. The little girl bowed her head, hugging Panda closer and trying to hide her disappointment.

He crouched down and ruffled her pale wavy hair. "Hey. You really want to see Nozomi?" She nodded, shaking a bit as she tried not to fully cry. "I'll see what I can do. Not tonight, though; it's too soon. We'll see about tomorrow, okay?"

Eri lifted her head, eyes wide. They were still wet with tears, but now they were filled with excitement. She gave a nod. "Tomorrow…"

**Shift P.O.V**

"Here you go." Nozomi set a plate in front of her rehabilitator/roommate and could not keep the evil grin from forming on her face.

Hawks looked down at the food and seemed to just stare for a moment before he grinned back "Cool. Thanks, Nozomi-chan."

She was slightly disappointed at his reaction. Fried chicken wings, specifically just wings, should have gotten some sort of reaction from a man with wings. However, he seemed excited about the food instead of unsettled. Watching him dig into his meal, the girl frowned.

While they were out, he had asked what else she liked besides manga. When she mentioned that she used to cook for Aizawa, he got just a little too chipper and insisted on stocking up on supplies so she could cook. Admittedly, he seemed more excited about the prospect of getting food from someone rather than helping her. Not that she minded much; it was satisfying to see someone enjoy her cooking.

Settling beside him, she began to eat her own meal. "Tch. You're no fun."

"This is pretty good," he commented. "Better than that place I usually hit on the way home. Heh. You know, you'd make a good wife."

"Wow. What a compliment," she stated in monotone. "Just what I've always wanted to hear. Be still, my delicate, twisted little heart~"

He laughed a bit and set a hand on her shoulder. "Seriously. I kinda doubted that you were ever a caretaker before, but I see it now."

"Hm." Nozomi absently chewed, staring down at her plate. _What's he trying to say? He's weird. He's too hard to read. Damn birdbrain._

Seeing the somewhat grumpy look on her face, Hawk's grin grew sly. He set his empty plate down on the coffee table and stretched his arms over his head, wings extending as well in a stretch. Leaning back against the couch cushions, he watched her from the corner of his eye. "Seeing you with that kid, I could totally see you as a caretaker. Honestly, if we hadn't dyed your hair, I would've thought she was your kid or something."

"My kid?" She looked over at him and saw his eyes shift away from her. "Tch. Sure, yeah. Who'd want to have kids with a murderer?"

"You're pretty cute when you act like a mom," he spoke, his grin spreading. "Think you'll ever want to have your own?"

"My own kids?" Nozomi saw him nod and she frowned. She pushed up her glasses, her tails quietly thumping against the couch cushion as she began to feel frustrated and flustered. "Someone like me…shouldn't have kids. You have no idea what I've done." She scratched at the bandaging over her neck, not even thinking about it. _Besides, to even have a kid, I'd have to be able to get close to a guy and do "that". I can barely even get close to the guy I like without feeling scared._

Hawks observed this and frowned, cocking his head to the side. "That wasn't Nozomi; that was…uh…" His eyes narrowed and he ran his fingers through his messy blond hair. "What was your real name again? Yorika?"

She stared at him in disbelief for a moment. "Hiyori. Why did you think-?"

"Hiyori? Seriously?" He seemed almost disappointed. "Dabi keeps calling you "Yori" so I thought it was short for "Yorika" or "Yoriko". Why does he think your name is "Yori"?"

"That was what Shigaraki called me," she murmured.

"Okay? Why? Wait. Shigaraki didn't know your real name, did he?" He saw her shake her head and snickered. "That's hilarious!"

"Not really. I spent years of my life getting called by the wrong name. I didn't even bother to correct him; I was afraid of pissing him off." Just the mention of Shigaraki brought on a flood of memories that made her heart pound, her stomach churn. Goose bumps raised on her skin and she lowered her gaze. She felt a wetness against her fingertips and grimaced, pulling her hand away from her neck. Her nails and fingertips had red glistening on them.

Before she could move to wipe off the blood, her wrist was gripped and Hawks frowned down at her. "You scratched it open again? You've got to stop hurting yourself."

"You can say that…but it's not like I mean for it to happen. It just does. Half the time, I don't even know I'm doing it unless you say something."

He stared down at the blood for a moment and shook his head. "Stop hurting yourself, okay? What if it gets infected-?"

"So…_what_? You don't want me to hurt myself. My rehabilitator…doesn't like to see me hurt myself. Would you let me hurt _you_ instead?" The words left her lips in a soft, even tone despite her naturally hoarse voice. Her hands both curled into fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms and made them sting.

"Sure." Hawks saw her bright amber eyes widen and he beamed. "You said you want to tear out my feathers, right? They'll grow back and I don't need them until tomorrow anyway." He brought his wings forward around his sides, extending toward her. "Go ahead and rip them out. Some of them are loose anyway."

**Shift P.O.V**

Hawks was having trouble falling asleep. He pushed himself to sit up in his bed and looked over his shoulder at his wings. They hurt a little. It was just a light stinging sensation; not enough to keep him awake. He was fine with a little pain anyway, if it kept her from hurting herself.

Turning, he looked at the figure sleeping beside him. Nozomi was wrapped in her own separate blanket with her stingers poking out from beneath the edge. Long, golden hair was spread over the sheet beside her head and her expression was troubled; as if she might be having a bad dream.

She was more than reluctant to sleep in his room, let alone in his bed. It took a lot of convincing and bothering until she finally gave in. She made it really clear that she would not be cuddling with him and she demanded her own blanket. This was fine. In fact, he had no desire to cuddle with the ex-villain or be under the same blanket as her.

Hawks turned his gaze through the open door to his apartment door. When he sighed, he realized that he had been holding his breath since he sat up. He stared at the door expectantly for a long moment, waiting for something that he dreaded. The reason why he had Nozomi sleep next to him was because he was legitimately concerned that Dabi might know where she was.

The last time they spoke, Dabi seemed to know that something was "off". Hawks had tried to hide his anxiety about Nozomi being out, but Dabi had noticed and even mentioned it. If he was able to locate where Hawks lived, if he got in, he would find Nozomi and he would take her.

_He's not getting you_, Hawks vowed to the girl as he looked down at the ex-villain again. He reached over and drew the edge of the blanket over her shiny black stingers. A final glance was cast toward the door before he resolved to try to fall asleep.

The winged hero fell onto his side behind where she was curled up, his gaze fixed on his roommate as she slept. His wings twitched, stinging slightly from where she had anxiously plucked out feathers. He just wanted to distract her from whatever dark memories were threatening to plunge her into despair. Now he extended his left wing forward, partially wrapped around her, and closed his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

NeonHorizon: Um...I guess...nightmare fuel warning? Just for the first little bit.

* * *

"Yori…my girl. What did you do to yourself? You know I…_hate it_…when you do stuff like this." Four fingers tangled in her golden hair, pulling harshly and making her wince. A face leaned down close, chapped lips being chewed anxiously as narrowed red eyes glared down at her.

_No! No, no, no!_ She opened her mouth, trying to protest or at the very least scream. No sound came out. She tried again and again, hands grasping at his in an effort to pry his fingers from her hair. It was futile.

Three cold fingers trailed over the side of her face as he leaned in further. He pulled at her hair, making tears of pain blur her vision. She kicked at the air behind him, but there was no getting away. He was sitting on her waist, keeping her pinned flat on her back on the ground.

Shigaraki's hand moved down along her cheek and gripped her neck gently, keeping his little finger extended. "My girl…look at you. You don't even look like my Yori anymore. I'm so angry…" His eyes narrowed, fingers tightening around her neck. "You _betrayed_ me." He brought his face inches from hers, watching her lips move as she tried to protest.

Her vision was starting to fade. Unable to breathe, she kicked and whipped her tails back and forth in a panic. She desperately reached for anything to try to help free herself. The ex-villain's hands tangled in his hair and she pulled as hard as she could. A few strands came loose and he leaned back, eyes wide with outrage.

To her surprise, he stood and released her completely. Standing over her now, Shigaraki glowered at the blonde girl. "I won't let anyone else have my girl…I'm going to kill you. You can die as my girl."

_Wait! No! No, please, no!_ Her body jolted as a foot lifted and the sole of his shoe slammed down on her throat. She released a strangled scream, her tails frantically striking at the air as she tried to make her stingers connect with his legs. If she could just injure him even a little, it would help her.

She felt a stinger's tip lightly sink in before it was yanked out by an unseen hand. A heavy weight pressed down on her tails, pinning them to the ground as she continued to thrash. Faint whimpers escaped her lips as she struggled to free herself from Shigaraki.

"NOZOMI! Nozomi, wake up! You're okay! Wake up!"

The ex-villain jolted awake, amber eyes snapping open wide and staring up at Hawks through her tears. The hero was sitting on her waist, pinning her down on the bed with his hands gripping her shoulders. Her tail was gently pinned down by his right knee.

"What…happened?" She trembled, her nightmare still vivid in her mind. _Did I sting him? I felt one of my stingers puncture something._

He stared down at her for a long moment, studying her to be sure that she was fully awake. Releasing her shoulders, he sat back on her waist and tipped his head back with a sigh of relief. "You had a nightmare or something," he replied, ruffling his hair. "You okay now?"

"…you're heavier than you look…" she mumbled, head turning to the side. Nozomi wiped at her eyes, hating the fact that he saw her cry.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm light as a feather," he retorted, a grin tugging at his mouth. When he saw her half-smile, he let his grin form. "You okay now?" the hero repeated.

"I'm fine. Just…a little freaked out." Nozomi was glad when Hawks got off of her, but the relief was short-lived when he flopped down beside her on his stomach. His wings extended for a second before folding against his back. "Did I sting you?"

"You scraped me, but I don't think you broke the skin." He nodded down toward his pajama pants, showing a small hole near his thigh. "So you want to talk about it? I've never heard you scream in your sleep before."

She sat up and drew her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself. "I…had a dream that Shigaraki found me…and he was going to kill me." She felt sick to her stomach just saying it. Fear made her glance toward the bedroom door and then she closed her eyes. _If he finds me, will he kill me? He'll be so pissed off that I went missing. I wouldn't be surprised if he…_

At her side, Hawks raised his eyebrows at what she said. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, frowning deeply and running his fingers through his hair. "Get dressed. I've got to go to work soon."

"Tch. I'm not going with you to work. Didn't you hear what I-?"

"Nozomi-chan, get dressed." There was a firmness to his words that was nothing like his usual carefree tone. He was serious.

It was unsettling to see him so solemn about something. The only other time he got even close to this level of serious was when Endeavor got injured. Nozomi grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom. By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Hawks had gathered up her art supplies into a messenger bag and handed it to her.

He offered no explanation whatsoever as he flew high above the streets, holding onto Nozomi tightly. His eyes were narrowed, mouth set in a straight line as he seemed to be lost in thought. She was shaking, still terrified of heights, and had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Her tails were wrapped around her own waist to hide them from sight, but her stingers anxiously tapped at her belt.

Nozomi kept her face hidden from those down below, reluctantly buried in the side of her roommate's neck. _Where is he taking me? He wouldn't take me to his hero agency, would he? That would be way too risky for him. He isn't heading the right way for us to be going to UA. Where are we going?!_

"You know, you're making some good progress, Nozomi-chan."

"What're you squawking about?" she muttered.

The arms holding onto her tightened, pulling her closer against his chest as he picked up speed. "You're okay with this right? Remember when I couldn't even sit next to you on the couch?"

She grudgingly nodded. He was right. The two of them were really close in this moment. They had even slept in the same bed together the night before. It was definitely progress. Her first few nights in his apartment, she had refused to sleep because she was fearful of what he might do. Back then, she never would have imagined that she would be where she was now.

"Your goal is to be able to get close to Eraserhead, right? You two were a thing before you got taken by the League. So do you want to get back with him? Is that your goal?" He had to raise his voice a little to be heard over the wind.

The idea of being able to get close to Aizawa the way she had before made her heart skip a beat. She bit her lip, shrugging. It was definitely something she would love, but she was afraid of having a bad reaction and offending him. Nozomi just wished that things could go back to the way they were before.

They landed and he reached for her hand, taking it in his gloved one. "Okay! Today I'm going to push you a little, Nozomi-chan. If you can get through this, I'll get you something cool, okay?"

She let him lead her, lost in her own thoughts and giving him an absentminded nod. Nozomi's tails tightened around her waist as she tried to push away thoughts of her nightmare. She looked over her shoulder, fearful that she might see him somewhere behind her. Her red-eyed terror. The blue-haired hoodie gremlin that was now apparently haunting her dreams.

"You're early."

"Sorry I can't stick around; I'm kind of in a hurry. So you don't mind, right?"

"No, no. It's fine. It's been a while since I've had company."

Nozomi shook out of her thoughts and realized that they were now standing at an open door to what seemed to be someone's apartment. She pushed up her glasses, eyes lifting from the floor to meet a pair of eyes that curiously studied her. _What…the hell?! Where is the lower half of this guy's face?_

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Hakamata Tsunagu." The man seemed to be smiling, but he was wearing a turtleneck sweater that covered everything beneath his eyes. "And you're…?"

Before she could answer, an arm was wrapped around her shoulders and Hawks beamed. "This is my Nozomi-chan. She's a little nervous around guys so she's kind of quiet. Nozomi-chan, this is Best Jeanist."

_Oh. So this is that hero._ She gave a small bow and adjusted the strap of her bag. "Nice to meet you, Hakamata-san."

"Okay, well, I've got to go. I'll be back to pick her up later, okay? Nozomi-chan, take care of him."

_Wait a second! What?!_ Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she looked from her retreating roommate to the man in the doorway. _Great. So. I have a part to play. This is what he meant by pushing me; he expects me to play nice with this hero to prove that I'm doing better._ Nozomi put on a polite smile she had mastered during her days as a villain, attempting to keep Shigaraki happy.

"Thank you for having me. I'm sorry for any inconvenience," she spoke. _I have to play a part. I have to let him think he's doing me a huge favor by having me here._

"Of course. When Hawks called this morning, he said that you were afraid of a break in so you didn't want to be left alone. I can understand. It's a dangerous world sometimes." He stepped aside to let her in and led the way to a sitting area.

Nozomi kept a decent amount of space between them and set her messenger bag down. She saw a somewhat pained look cross his face and she frowned. "Are you alright, Hakamata-san?"

He put a hand to his chest and gave a nod. "Yes, I'm fine. So Hawks told me that you're a writer."

Her face went bright pink and she bit the inside of her cheek. _Just what did Hawks tell you about me? What kind of writer do you think I am? Exactly what role am I supposed to be playing?! _She put on a half-smile and shrugged, feigning a humbleness. "He made me sound a lot more important than I am. I'm just a mangaka. I only have one volume written and it hasn't even been published yet-"

"It's something that you're passionate about, though." He was clearly impressed. He clearly had the wrong impression about her. "It's interesting that Hawks is dating a mangaka." He definitely, seriously had the wrong idea about her relationship with the winged hero.

**Shift P.O.V**

Multiple attempts had been made to contact Hawks. Multiple times, they went ignored. He had promised Eri that Nozomi would return soon. The little girl was visibly distraught by the thought of not seeing her again. So the fact that he was unable to get Hawks to at least answer was frustrating.

Aizawa was thinking about it again. The way that the hero had looked over at Nozomi while she talked to Eri. It bothered him. Coupling that with how reluctant Hawks had been to leave her with Aizawa, he had to wonder what the winged hero really saw her as.

He had options other than calling the number Hawks had left. Of course, they were far from appealing. If he was really desperate, he could call the hero agency belonging to Hawks or he could go there in person. That would force him to speak to Aizawa. However, he wanted to avoid doing that.

Looking over at Eri, he saw the sadness in the child's face as she pet one of the cats. She was frowning deeply, holding back tears of disappointment. At the arrival of Togata Mirio, he felt relief. The teenager was more than happy to try to cheer Eri up and succeeded after picking up the black and white cat and making a funny voice as if it was talking to her.

Aizawa saw her cheering up and smiling slightly, but it was clear that she was still upset. He had to do something drastic, yet indirect. Approaching Mirio, who was now holding Eri on his shoulders, he frowned and held out a scrap of paper. "Call this number and ask for Nozomi."

**Shift P.O.V**

"Wow. You look so cool, Nozomi-chan." There was no hint of envy in his voice as he stared at the blonde girl.

Her hair had been wild and a bit tangled when they arrived. The wind was not kind to long hair when flying. She looked almost like a different girl now. Her long blonde hair was lying straight, shiny. It had been meticulously brushed into order and she looked kind of like a European model, but with battle scars and a fire in her eyes that could make a weaker man back away slowly.

"Would you like for me to do yours, too?" Hakamata lifted the brush from the couch cushion beside him and raised an eyebrow.

"No, that's cool. Not really my style. So how'd it go?" Hawks had been thinking about it all day. Worrying about Nozomi all day. It was really unlike him to worry so much and he disliked the feeling. After hearing about her nightmare, he had just been too anxious to let her stay in the apartment alone.

"I helped Nozomi-san with clothing designs for her characters. They should give it a little extra style."

Nozomi looked over at Hawks with an odd sort of expression. A bizarre look that read "I want to tear out all of your feathers one by one" and also "please help me because this man is insane". It made him grin. "Want to get dinner?"


	10. Chapter 10

NeonHorizon: Featuring "dad voice" Aizawa.

* * *

Nozomi sat on the couch, arms wrapped around herself and trembling. As if memories of her nightmare were not bad enough, she had to also deal with the anxiety of spending the day with a complete stranger and then being flown home by Hawks. It was certainly a day to test to her.

She scratched at her wrist, teeth gritted as she tried to keep herself calm. "You left me alone…with a stranger," she mumbled. "You know how much I…_hate it_…when you…" The words faded and she frowned, chewing at the inside of her cheek. _That sounds familiar. Why? Where have I heard that before?_

Hawks was in the middle of changing clothes, his back to her and his door completely open. "Did you say something?" he called over his shoulder.

Slouching a little more, she shook her head and reached a trembling hand toward her tails. Something compelled her to lift it, bringing the stinger close until she found herself chewing on it. The stinger itself was tough in comparison to the rest of her tails so there was no pain as her teeth gnawed at the dark, curved appendage.

_I've heard someone say it before. Where? Wait…no…_Her eyes started to sting and she closed them. The chewing grew a little more frantic as she realized something horrifying. It had not occurred to her before, but the way she spoke sometimes, the way she scratched at her neck when she got anxious, the threats she snarled at Hawks. All of it reminded her of Shigaraki.

_No…no, no, no! Why though?! Why am I like this? What am I…doing?_ She heard a crunch, felt it beneath her teeth, and drew away from her stinger with wide, watery amber eyes. It was cracked ever so slightly. She dropped her left tail and lifted a hand, feeling a wetness around her mouth. Wiping at her lips made her hand come away smeared with a dark, shining substance she knew to be her venom.

"Whoa! How'd you manage to do that?" Hawks clicked his tongue right behind her, peering down at the cracked stinger from over her shoulder. He leaned down, reaching with one hand to gently lift her left tail. "Stay here. Don't touch it."

Staring down at her tail, she licked her lips and tasted a bitterness. Her vision started to blur, the color fading from the world around her as she blinked. She licked again, shivering at the bitter flavor of the venom. It was like black coffee, but somehow smoother.

A level one dose of venom, depending on the potency, altered vision. Removed color, distorted depth perception and clarity. Sometimes caused blindness. A level two dose could remove the victim's hearing. A level three dose was fatal. Of course, her body had some level of resistance to it since her body produced the venom.

Her thoughts quickly shifted from the way her world had turned gray. She watched Hawks approach the couch with a roll of bandage in hand, as well as a wet cloth for her to wipe her mouth. As she wiped away the excess venom from her lips, she observed the way he wrapped her stinger with bandage. He was humming, working as if this was no big deal. As if he was not handling the most dangerous part of her body.

"There we go." He leaned back, half-grinning at his own handiwork. "At least it didn't bleed, right?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head to stare at the hero. Locks of tangled golden hair fell over her face, windblown back to its normal disarray after Hawks flew her home. Nozomi tilted her head, her tails swishing out of his reach and thumping against the couch cushion.

"That hero said "it's interesting that Hawks is dating a mangaka". He said that to me after you left," she growled, recalling the incident.

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his head, frowning as he leaned back. "Seriously? Why'd he have to say that?" This last part was muttered under his breath, but it was clear that Nozomi still heard him.

"Maybe if you hadn't introduced me as _your_ Nozomi he wouldn't have made that assumption." She poured plenty of venom into her tone as she glared at him from the corner of her eye.

"I mean, it _could_ be that…or it _could_ be that I told him you were my girlfriend." Hawks raised both eyebrows when he saw her face him with a glare. "What?"

"Why would you do that? What's the point? Even if you can't tell anyone about my past, we're still just roommates, right?"

"Yeah, but it's just easier this way. It's not actually like that."

Nozomi pushed up her glasses and smirked. "Yeah. I'm not really into blond birdbrains," she remarked, feeling a little cheered up since she had an opportunity to be sarcastic.

"Ouch. That stings," he pretended to pout. Hawks was about to say more when his phone started to ring. He released a frustrated sigh before he even looked at the screen. As if he was expecting it to be someone that had been bothering him a lot lately.

He tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow. Clearly, whoever he was expecting, this was not them. "Hello?" Immediately, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "Oh. Yeah. She's here." Hawks stared at Nozomi now, unblinking for a long moment. "…sure…"

**Shift P.O.V**

The lengths that he was going through to try to get Nozomi to come back were getting a little ridiculous. For one, the fact that Hawks refused to answer when he called meant that he had to have Mirio call for him and ask for Nozomi. Aizawa stood by as Mirio dialed the number and put it on speaker mode when the teacher instructed him to do so.

When Hawks finally answered, Mirio beamed. "Hello! Is Nozomi there? I'm a big fan and I want to talk to her!"

_A big fan?_ Aizawa's frown deepened, wishing Mirio could have forgone the odd improvised line. "Tell him to give her the phone," he whispered.

"…Nozomi…?" Eri stared at the phone with wide eyes.

Apparently hearing the little girl ask for Nozomi was what it really took to persuade Hawks. He seemed to have given the phone to the ex-villain. She greeted Eri and Aizawa could imagine her smiling as she spoke. Hearing her voice made him miss her that much more.

He waited, listening to her talk to Eri and Mirio. The teenager had never met Nozomi so he had no idea that he was actually speaking to a former member of the League of Villains. Aizawa held out his hand for the phone after a few minutes and it was given to him without objection.

"Nozomi," he started, taking the call off speaker mode. "Where are you?"

There was a brief pause, in which he could imagine her smirking. "Shouta~ If you want something, just come out and say it."

As much as he hated being teased, hearing her talk this way made him feel relieved. She sounded like her old self. Like the person that had taken care of him after his injuries in the USJ incident. Like the person that had actually saved his life that day. He walked away from Mirio and Eri, making his way toward his room for privacy. "Fine. I want you."

Now she would probably be blushing. Her tails would be wrapping around each other like they did when she got flustered. She was probably pushing up her glasses, maybe biting the inside of her cheek. "Heh. You're so _forward_."

"Don't use my phone to talk dirty," Hawks said in the background.

"So where are you?" Aizawa knew he had to be quick, before Hawks took the phone back. As soon as he thought this, however, something came to mind. This felt like a hostage situation.

"I'm at home. I guess…his apartment. Is everything okay?" She sounded worried now, but not like she was in a hurry to get back to him. Nozomi made no offer or suggestion that she wanted to return to the dorms.

He frowned and looked down at the hairless cat now rubbing against the side of his leg. "I want to see you." His heart beat a bit faster at this confession.

There was a moment of silence. A soft rustling sound for a few seconds. "Shouta, I…don't know what to say." Nozomi's voice was quiet, but her joy could still be felt through her tone. Her joy as well as her trepidation. "I want to see you, too. I do…I really do want to see you, Shouta. I just…I _can't_. Not yet-"

A growl of frustration escaped him, startling the cat. "Why not?"

"I don't like being afraid of you. I don't like not being able to be touched. Just give me some time to get over it and-!"

"Come here. _Now_. Or I'll go there. Don't make me go there," he said through gritted teeth. _How does she expect to heal if she doesn't even try? Avoiding the issue isn't going to do anything. Even if Hawks says that he's trying to help her get over this, this isn't something he can do._

There was a brief sound of a struggle for the phone before Hawks spoke. "Nozomi-chan can't come right now. We're working on her manga tonight. Maybe next week or something."

"I said _now_," Aizawa stated, using his firmest tone.

"Yeah, but, like I said! We're pretty busy right now, right, Nozomi-chan?" There was a weird tone to his voice. Like he was in a hurry. Like there was a sense of urgency. "Now's not great anyway. It's a busy night; there are people everywhere. Someone might see her and then-!"

"Bring her here _now_."

"Look, Eraserhead, I'd love to. It's just really not a good time though so-!" Hawks interrupted his own sentence with a noise that made Aizawa move the phone away from his ear. It was a low, heated groan that instantly made the other hero question what the relationship really was between Hawks and Nozomi.

"What the hell…?" Aizawa heard another groan and panting, followed by a strangled sort of growl. _What the hell are they doing?_

"Ngh! N-Nozomi-chan, not so hard! Ah!"

"Put her on the phone _right now_ or I'm coming there," he finally growled.

Seconds later, Nozomi greeted him. "I…really want to see you. Just don't try to push me, okay? I want to get better…but I need to set my own pace. And this fool already pushed me out of my comfort zone twice today."

Aizawa blinked slowly, still frowning despite this good news. "What'd you do to him? What was that sound about?"

**Shift P.O.V**

Nozomi grimaced, toying with a bright crimson feather with her free hand. "When he's a _bad bird_…he gets _plucked_," she replied, glancing toward Hawks. She had not expected that sort of reaction from the winged hero. The last time she plucked out a bunch of his feathers, it seemed to hurt him. Given, she had been in the middle of a fit in which she had scratched open her own neck so she had not given much thought to how forceful she was being.

This time was different. She was unsure of why, but this seemed to be less about pain and more about pleasure almost. He was still panting a little, his cheeks a warm shade of pink as he averted his gaze in defeat. Nozomi tilted her head, tails wrapping around each other tighter. "We'll be there soon. Right, Hawks?"

"F-fine." He ruffled his hair, wings twitching slightly behind him. Once his phone was returned to him, he tucked it into his pocket and frowned. "You're probably staying the night there, huh?"

She looked toward the window, out at the setting sun on the horizon. "Yeah."

Hawks did not look pleased about taking her to the dorms, but seemed to understand that if he refused, she might pluck out all of his feathers while he slept. He trudged into his room and soon returned, tossing some clothes to her. "Wear these. You'll draw less attention to yourself."

Nozomi stared at the clothes he had given her. She knew they were his. She knew he was right about wearing the clothes; they would fit loosely and make any casual onlooker just think she was a guy. However, something in her gut told her that he had some ulterior motive. At the same time, his clothes were pretty comfortable so she decided to just go with it.

When she emerged from the bathroom, wearing his t-shirt and pants, she found him sitting on the couch with a sort of pouting expression. "What? Are you going to _miss_ me tonight?" she taunted, expecting some kind of sassy comeback.

"Yeah."

The answer left her taken aback and she frowned, fidgeting with the red feather she was still holding. "Yeah? Why's that? I mean, you lived without me until just about a month ago, right? And it's not like this is how it will always be. Eventually, I'll have to go my own way. I'm grateful that you're helping me, but you know that's how it has to be, right?"

Hawks looked as crestfallen as a child that had found a kitten and was told that they had to return it to its real owner. He ran a hand through his hair and put on a grin, but it did not reach his eyes. "Yeah, I know. I just got used to having you here all the time. I'll see you again tomorrow morning though. It's not a big deal."

She nodded, now twirling the feather between her fingers. The girl saw him staring at it and smirked. "Here. I know how to cheer you up." Nozomi began braiding a strand of golden hair that hung beside her face and held up the feather. It was a shorter feather so it was easy enough for her to weave it into the braid. "See? Now I'll have part you with me tonight."

He displayed a real grin now. "Awww! I didn't think you'd miss me, too."


	11. Chapter 11

"What are you wearing?" Aizawa's eyes were narrowed on the loose-fitting men's clothes that Nozomi was wearing. They clearly belonged to Hawks, who was standing behind her with a frown.

"Heh. Better question is: what are _you_ wearing? Where'd you even find sweatpants in neon pink?" Nozomi half-grinned and ran a hand through her tangled, golden hair in an attempt to make it look acceptable. "Were all your black sweatpants in the wash?" she teased, leaning toward him.

The hero's expression remained unchanged as he looked to Hawks. "You can go now."

_He sounds like he's dismissing a student_, she thought with amusement. _He even looks like he's talking to a student. First he used that commanding voice and now this. _To her surprise, she felt her heart beating a bit faster and a hint of warmth bloomed in her cheeks. _It's…pretty hot when he acts like this. He's usually so low-energy, it's surprising when he gets passionate._

Hawks rubbed the back of his neck, looking from Aizawa to Nozomi. He was obviously still opposed to leaving her there overnight. "I'll be back in the morning. Five o'clock, okay? Be ready."

"That's too early." The argument came from Aizawa, who was taking a step closer to put himself between the two. "Eight."

"Six."

"Seven-thirty." The dark-haired hero glared down at the winged hero for a long moment, challenging him to argue again.

When Hawks had gone, Nozomi followed Aizawa into the dorms. She walked behind him, keeping a distance. It reminded her of something. A day that felt like a lifetime ago. After the USJ incident, a certain friend of hers had recommended that she work as Aizawa's assistant while he healed. Her first day working at UA with him, she had followed his every move at a distance just like this.

It was nostalgic and pushed her thoughts back to a simpler time. That was the first time in her life that someone believed she was capable of more than just being a villain. Her friend had faith in her ability to help Aizawa heal. Thinking about it made her eyes tear up a bit.

Nozomi pushed up her glasses as she remembered that friend. The last time she saw him, it was on television as he fought All for One. _He survived, but is he really okay?_ She toyed with the braid hanging beside her face, biting the inside of her cheek as she became lost in thought.

"Who's your friend, Aizawa-sensei?" The chipper female voice pierced the otherwise quiet hallway and made the ex-villain freeze in place.

Ahead of her, Aizawa turned around to look at the female students down the corridor from them. He maintained his usual grumpy, tired expression and started toward the group. "Tsukihara. She's a mangaka." His gaze slid from the girls to Nozomi. "Tsukihara, these are some of my students."

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she turned to look at them. These were girls she had helped teach. Girls she had advised. It felt like years since the last time she saw any of them and now she felt her throat tightening. "Hey there," she greeted them.

Nozomi had a very easily recognizable voice. She had, sadly, inherited her father's rough, kind of hoarse voice so it was unlike most women's and it was hard for her to try to sound different. There was always that growly sort of edge, no matter what volume she spoke at. She could just hope that they were either dumb enough to not notice or that they had forgotten what their old backup teacher Hiyori sounded like.

They were staring. Whether it was due to the fact that she had a feather braided into her hair or because they recognized her, she was unsure. Pushing her hands into her pockets, she decided to feign confidence. "You kids like manga?"

"Are you really a mangaka? That's so cool!" Ashido exclaimed.

"That's a neat job," Asui chimed in. "What kind of manga is it?"

Smiling genuinely now, she was convinced they had no idea who she really was. _Damn. Hawks was right about this disguise; I'm really like a whole new person on the outside._ She rubbed the back of her neck and tightened her tails around her waist, beneath the loose-fitting shirt and jacket. "It's a shoujo manga called "Twirling Little Heart". I just submitted the first volume for review so I'm hoping to get it published pretty soon."

"That's awesome! You'll have to a sign a copy for me!" Ashido beamed and looked past Nozomi to their teacher. "I'd never picture you with a mangaka, Aizawa-sensei."

"We need to go," the man interrupted. Without another word, he turned and started walking again.

"I'll sign some copies for you," Nozomi promised. She jogged to catch up to Aizawa, feeling almost giddy from the residual nervousness and the adrenaline from actually passing herself off as someone else. _If I can fake it that well with other people, can I convince myself that I'm someone else?_

The answer came when she entered the lounge area. It was secluded from where the students lived so it was more like part of his and Eri's living area. The little girl was nowhere to be seen and as soon as the door was closed, Nozomi found herself backed up against the wall. "Heh. Shouta? What is it?"

He braced an arm against the smooth surface above her head and leaned down, stopping short of getting within a foot of her. The man stared down at the ex-villain with his bloodshot, fatigued eyes half-closed; studying Nozomi closely. "What's your relationship with Hawks?"

She wanted to laugh, but the amusement was quickly overshadowed by the anxiety of having a man so close to her. Any time Hawks hovered over her like this, she was always reminded of Overhaul and the life-scarring things he had put her through. This was no different. She felt herself beginning to tremble, sweat. Her vision blurred a little and she found herself scratching at her left wrist.

"W-we're just…roommates," she stammered. "He's…trying to help me get better-"

"In what way?" he persisted.

Nozomi bit the inside of her cheek so hard that she tasted blood. She turned her head to the side so she could at least look away from Aizawa. "He got me into making manga…and he helped me with this disguise. He's helping me restart my life. But we're just roommates. It's not like…I'm into birds."

Truthfully, she had no idea what her type was anymore. She had been into guys with dark hair and piercings, but between what happened with Overhaul and her various interactions with Dabi, that sort of guy was ruined for her. All she knew was that she stilled loved Aizawa.

**Shift P.O.V**

It was obvious from the second he saw her. She was wearing a pair of baggy men's pants and a loose-fitting t-shirt with a jacket that could only belong to Hawks. All of it belonged to Hawks. Even the red feather woven into her hair.

He could see it in the way she stood next to the winged hero when he arrived. The two were comfortable around each other. She let her guard down around Hawks the same way she had let her guard down around him when they first got together. It frustrated him a little.

She looked so afraid of him right now. Cowering against the wall. Fidgeting and biting the inside of her cheek. When he realized that she was scratching frantically at her left wrist, he gently gripped it and pinned it above her head. "Don't do that."

Nozomi's face turned bright red as she continued to tremble. "I can't…handle this. Shouta, please. You have to let go. Just move back. _Please_." There was a begging tone to her words, a whimpering quality to her voice.

"He isn't helping you heal," he stated firmly. "What is he doing to help you get over your fear?"

"He's…it isn't…" She was unable to answer him and released a shuddering sigh as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her body shook with silent sobs as he moved closer. "Sh-Shouta, please! I can't…handle this...not right now…please just move…please!"

"Let me help you," he argued. This was something that only Aizawa could do. He knew it. Whatever Hawks saw her as, he was not going to push her the same way that Aizawa could. If Nozomi ever wanted to get over her trauma, or at least make it so she was less affected by it, she needed to be pushed. She needed to be healed. She needed to know that everything was alright and she was safe, that this was a good thing.

"Shouta-!" Her tails fell from around her waist and swiftly wrapped around his leg as he closed the distance between them.

He felt the tip of a stinger press at the back of his knee, but he maintained his hold. Aizawa's right arm was wrapped around her waist, pressing her against his chest as his left hand pushed her glasses up to the top of her head. With them out of her way now, he wove his fingers her long, golden hair. The ex-villain's hands lifted and tentatively gripped the back of his shirt.

"I'm not letting go," the hero growled. "I'm going to heal you." Tears soaked into the front of his shirt. Her hands pressed against his back now as she embraced him. "Nozomi."

"You're…warm." Her voice was soft, but there was a sadness there. Fear. Pain. Whatever was going through her head, she hated it and she was trying to push past it, but it was obviously difficult. She held onto him tighter, crying into his chest. "Shouta…I just…I don't even know what to say…I-I'm scared. I'm really scared just from you holding me, but I want to get better! I don't like feeling this way! I _hate_ it! I hate _myself_! I just-!"

"Stop." He tightened his hold and felt her tense up. "I'm going to heal you, but it's going to take time. This isn't something you'll get past easily. I understand that. You need to cooperate for this to work, though. Will you let me do this?"

She was silent for a few minutes and simply clung to him with her face buried in his chest. The front of his shirt was getting wetter with her tears. Finally, she drew her face away from him and looked up. Her amber eyes were shining with tears, but they narrowed. "You know it's…really hard to take you seriously when you're wearing neon pink sweatpants," she joked, cracking a smile.

The young woman released his shirt and she wiped at her eyes, embarrassed to be crying in front of him. "If you think you can fix me…I'm willing to try anything."

He frowned and ran a thumb along her cheekbone, wiping away a tear. "You're not broken," he argued. "I'm not fixing anything; I'm just-"

"I…_feel_ broken though. It's rare for me to feel like my old self. Heh. But I guess that's a good thing, right? "Hiyori" and "Yori" are supposed to be dead. I'm Nozomi now. I'm a new person. So…why can't I just push past this? Why is this so difficult? I'm safe now, but I just…even right now…I'm so scared that I feel like I might throw up," she confessed.

Aizawa knew it was going to be a lengthy process to get her anywhere near feeling like her old self. It might not even be possible, but he at least wanted her to feel comfortable around him. Leaning his head against the wall behind her, he sighed and held her to his chest again. "We'll get through this."

**Shift P.O.V**

"What is this?" Hawks stared at the weird item that Dabi had just handed him. It was bizarre timing for Dabi to call him to meet so soon after he dropped Nozomi off at the dorms, but Hawks knew that refusing would raise suspicion. Now he was standing in a dark alley, holding this strange object and wondering if Dabi was subtly coming onto him.

"You don't know what it is?" the scarred villain taunted. "It's called a _panda_."

"I know what a panda is. I just don't get why you're giving me this. Sorry, but I'm not into cutesy stuff." Hawks tried to hand the stuffed animal back to him, a cold sweat breaking out beneath his clothes. _This isn't for me_, he quickly realized as he met Dabi's gaze. _This is for __**her**__. He knows._

It was difficult to maintain his cheerful demeanor, but he managed to keep up the façade as he waved the stuffed animal at the villain. "Seriously. You know what people would say if they saw me carrying something like this? I've got a reputation to maintain," he joked.

"Thought you were done for the day. Just take it home." Dabi's intense blue eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. "Or is there a problem?"

"What am I supposed to do with it though? This isn't really my style."

"So just give it to a girl. I don't care."

_There it is._ Hawks had to try very hard to not show any sort of reaction to the insinuation. At least, nothing that would give away that he had a girl living with him. Nothing to show that he knew exactly what girl Dabi had in mind. "I guess if I run into a cute fan, it'd make a nice gift." He grinned and tucked it under his arm.

A quick discussion took place concerning the activities of the League of Villains and then Dabi excused himself. It only further convinced Hawks that the purpose of this meeting was to give him the stuffed animal. Dabi knew where Grayscale was. Now Hawks had to figure out how he would keep her safe.


	12. Chapter 12

It felt like she was being watched. This unsettling feeling was what brought her out of sleep and when Nozomi opened her eyes, she found herself looking at Aizawa from across the room. He was standing in the doorway to Eri's room, hands in his pockets, dressed in his hero costume.

She groggily pushed herself to sit up and ran a hand through her hair. "Nnh. Shouta? What time is it? Is it Hawks here already?"

He turned his head to the side, the slightest look of smug satisfaction taking form on his face. "He's not here."

"So I've still got some time…" Nozomi ruffled her tangled, golden locks and half-smiled at the man. "So? You wanted to cuddle or are you just enjoying the view~?" she teased.

The hero entered the room, bringing with him three cats that trotted alongside him like guardians. "I have class soon," he explained.

"What time is it?" The ex-villain looked toward Eri's window and saw through the curtains that the sun had risen.

Aizawa halted beside the bed, looking from her to the sleeping child beside her. "You're not going back today. I've got a job for you to do."

"Ah…what? Hawks is going to be here soon, right? He won't want-" She went silent as he set a hand on the top of her head. _Shouta? Seriously. What are you thinking? You've got a plan or something?_

"You're watching Eri today so you can't go. I'll see you when I get back from class. I already fed the cats." He started to turn away, but paused as he seemed to reconsider his farewell. Leaning down for a moment, he pressed a tentative kiss to the top of her head and then made his way out of the room again.

Nozomi stared after him in a mix of shock, happiness, and anxiety. _Wait. What?_ She looked over at Eri and then back to the open doorway. One cat had gone to follow Aizawa. The hairless cat and the black and white cat had remained behind. _Wait. Am I babysitting?_

She carefully got off of the bed and tiptoed her way out to the corridor, half-expecting to see that Aizawa was still out there. He was nowhere in sight. "Shouta?" she called softly. There was no answer.

_What am I going to do? _She glanced toward Eri once more. The little girl was still asleep and Panda was now curling up beside her. Nozomi's tails swished to the side, stingers quietly clicking together as she tried to figure out what to do now.

It had been a while since she spent a whole day with someone. Even when she was with Hawks on his days off, he would usually go out to get them food or run his own errands so she would be alone for a while. Not to mention that it had been a while since she took care of a child. Not since she was in Overhaul's base, being held against her will. So not only was she now experiencing a little distress from being unsure of her herself, she was also feeling a little panicked because this brought back some bad memories.

She put a hand over her mouth and nose for a moment, reassuring herself that there was no mask there. _I'm fine, _she told herself._ I'm safe. I'm…responsible? Good old responsible Yori. I mean __**Nozomi**__. _She frowned and clicked her stingers again as she pondered what to do.

Her stomach growled and she nodded to herself. _Food first. And coffee, if I can find it. Shouta said the dorm has a kitchen in it so I should cook for me and Eri, right? I can do this._ She wrapped her tails around her waist and pulled her shirt down over them to keep them hidden.

Turning to look at Eri again, she was given a meow of confirmation from Panda. "Just…keep her safe, okay? I'll be back really soon." Another meow. At the same time, Gremlin trotted over and hopped up onto her shoulder. Claws sank in through the shirt she had borrow from Hawks, making her hiss quietly, but the pain was minimal compared to any pain she felt in the past.

Having Gremlin with her did make her feel a little better. Walking with her hands in her pockets, she chewed at the inside of her cheek. _I have no idea where anything is_, she realized after wandering for about ten minutes. _Where even am I?_

"Oh! It's Aizawa-sensei's girlfriend!"

She tensed, tails tightening around her waist. Looking casually over her shoulder, she found Ashido and a few other students. Fighting to maintain her composure and not act overly familiar, despite knowing them, she offered a sheepish smile. "Morning."

"Did you stay the night?"

"Wow. I didn't know it was that serious."

"He got over Mori-sensei kind of fast, didn't he?" Kaminari remarked.

Nozomi felt her right eye twitch upon hearing this. Mori Hiyori had been her name what felt like a lifetime ago. When she was assisting Aizawa before, the kids had all called her "Mori-sensei". _Why does that piss me off so much to hear that?_ Tilting her head, she turned and approached the students. "Can someone show me where the kitchen is?"

"Oh! Are you making sensei breakfast? That's so romantic-!"

"Nope. Eri-chan." She saw the sparkle fade from the pink-haired girl's eyes for a moment before reigniting. Nozomi braced herself for the high pitched squeal, but still jolted a little.

"That's soooo sweeeeeet!"

After a long walk, made even longer by the students asking her various questions, Nozomi found herself in the kitchen. She started steaming some rice and prepared to make omelets with rice for herself and Eri. Somehow, this turned into making breakfast for a bunch of students as well. None of them seemed to recognize her, which was both relieving and a little confusing.

_Are they just dumb? Who'd fall for a shoddy disguise like this? I feel like an anime villain or something; just throw on a wig and no one knows who you are._ She started making herself a cup of black coffee when she felt eyes on her. Nozomi turned her head and made direct eye contact with a particular student she had hoped to avoid seeing.

Her side started to throb a little and she subconsciously pressed a hand over her scarred left side. "Morning," she greeted Bakugou.

He continued to just glare, but his eyes briefly lowered to where her hand was pressed. Recognition formed on his face. Those scars on her side had been caused by one of his attacks. When he had been taken by the League of Villains, she had allowed herself to be injured so he could use her as a human shield to try to escape. After all, Shigaraki was reluctant to attack her or let the others do any damage to her. The plan had only managed to buy Bakugou some time until the heroes showed up, but it had still helped.

Nozomi reached to the plated omelet she had set aside for herself and offered it. "Eat up, kid. Need to get some protein, right?"

Not breaking eye contact, he took the plate and went to sit down at a table. The ex-villain poured a cup of black coffee for herself and grabbed Eri's breakfast to take back to the girl's room with her. It was only when she was out in the corridor that she allowed herself to start really worrying.

_That kid definitely recognized me. Damn it. Now what am I going to do? I can't really go anywhere until Shouta comes back. Damn it._ She quickened her pace, eager to get back to Eri's room.

The little girl was awake by the time she returned and looked sad until she saw the meal that Nozomi brought back with her. "…breakfast…?"

"It's a rice omelet." She sat on the bed beside the child, smiling and setting the plate down on the little stand beside the bed. "See the shape on top?"

Eri's eyes lit up. "A heart…?"

"Yep. I drew a heart on top with some ketchup. My mom used to do always do that for me when I was a little kid," she explained. Talking about her mother made her feel a bit sad, but at the same time she felt nostalgic. "Do you want to try some?"

The girl nodded and Nozomi cut a little bit off the omelet with a fork. She offered it to Eri and felt a burst of happiness when she got the child to smile. "Is it good?" Eri nodded again and took the fork so she could feed herself.

As she sipped her bitter, burning coffee, the ex-villain tried not to think about her worries. She wanted to live in this moment. A moment where her cooking made a little girl happy. A moment where she was safe and comfortable. It was difficult though. Especially when she had the subconscious fear that Overhaul would come through the door at any moment and drag her out of the room by her hair.

_I'm safe here_, she reminded herself. Staring down into the dark beverage in her cup, she bit the inside of her cheek hard. _I'm safe. He can't even touch me now. I'm safe. I'm…safe. _She sipped her drink again and half-closed her eyes.

"Are you…going to leave again?" Eri asked, her voice trembling with worry.

"Not for a while. Aizawa-san wanted me to stay with you today. We have all day to do whatever you want. We can play a game or we can draw or we could try naming those cats again."

Time passed and she was surprised when Hawks failed to show up. _Did he just decide he doesn't want me around anymore or something? _She was making lunch for herself and Eri, feeling much better now that all of the students had gone to class.

Thinking about it, she decided it would be okay if Hawks had just gotten bored with her as long as he left her with Aizawa. If he came back and tried to take her to prison, she was unsure of what she would do. _I don't want to go to prison. I…like this. I like taking care of someone; I mean I'm a caretaker by nature, right? That was why I got hired to take care of Shigaraki._

Nozomi was standing in the kitchen with her back to the doorway, thinking about a multitude of things. Eri, Aizawa, Hawks, the students, the cats, Shigaraki, Nomus, birds, the bitter taste her venom had, the food she was currently cooking on the stove, the water boiling for tea, her manga. So many thoughts in such a broad range. She pressed a hand to her right temple and her tails started to loosen around her waist. _Too many thoughts. I feel like my brain…is splitting apart._

"Oh. I thought everyone was gone."

She tensed, her tails tightening again. The ex-villain knew that voice anywhere. Goose bumps rose on her skin beneath her clothes and she bowed her head, feigning a headache. "S-sorry, sir! I'll be out in a few minutes! Sorry!" She forced herself to speak in a high pitched voice, trying to hide the natural hoarseness of her real voice.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"It's fine, it's fine! No worries! I mean-!" She heard footsteps approaching her from behind and quickly moved to the tea kettle, keeping her head down so her hair hid her face. "Want some tea? I've got plenty of water ready!"

"Uh…sure."

She got a tea bag ready and filled a mug to the brim with hot water. Setting it down on the countertop, she pushed it off to the side. "There you go, sir. Have a good day!" On the inside, she was panicking. _Why the hell is All Might here?! Don't you have a class to teach? What the hell?_

"Thanks." He came to stand next to her and took the mug.

Nozomi saw him from the corner of her eye, lifting the mug and blowing gently on the steaming tea. The catalyst that had made her life start to change from simply being Shigaraki's caretaker had been when she randomly met this thin, scraggly-looking blond guy in a grocery store. One thing had led to another and, through persistence, she had made friends with this man. The last time she saw him was in the bar, when Bakugou was being rescued. She had kicked All Might in the chest and screamed at him.

He was looking at her curiously, but with no hint of malice. "Hey. You okay?"

It might have seemed like a completely innocent question, but she heard the concern in his voice and memories came flooding back to her from the past. "I'm fine, sir. Just…really busy, you know. Making lunch for the kid." She forced a smile and turned to face him, knowing she had no choice. Continuing to avoid his gaze would look suspicious. "There's plenty of food if you want some, too!"

He stared down at her for a long moment, taking in every scar and eventually focusing his gaze on the purple plastic frames of her glasses as she pushed them up. The same glasses she had worn when she kicked him and screamed at him. Staring down at his old friend Mori Hiyori, he smiled faintly. "Thanks. It smells great."

"Heh. You know, you're pretty thin, mister. You could probably use some food, right?" she teased. _He knows. He knows, he knows, he knows. But he…doesn't care, does he? He's always like this. He's too forgiving._ She turned back to the stove and smirked. "I used soy sauce with a little ginger. I hope that's okay."

"No worries." He looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself and simply drank his tea.

While she cooked, Yagi continued to stand beside her and seemed to have decided to humor her effort to become someone else. He asked her name, her age, why she was in the dorm, what kind of work she did. She was glad to indulge him and answer. It felt sweet, casual. It gave her some hope for the future.

"Does the League of Villains know where you are?" he finally asked.


	13. Chapter 13

Nozomi released a nervous laugh and shook her head. "League of Villains? Sorry, mister, but you've got the wrong person. Why would the League of Villains care about where a _mangaka_ is? I doubt any of them are huge manga fans! What a silly question!"

On the inside, she was starting to panic again. She had let her guard down since he was asking so many innocent questions. Now it was one hundred percent certain that he knew who she was, if there was even a question of that to begin with. Not only that, but the thought of the villains knowing her whereabouts terrified her.

If she put Eri and the students in danger just by being in the dorms, she would never forgive herself. She wanted to protect them. All of them. Her caretaker instincts would never let her stay if the villains came for her.

"Hiyori-"

"Sir…I think you're a little confused. My name's _Nozomi_. Tsukihara Nozomi."

"Hiyori, listen-"

"I have to take lunch to the kid now. Have a good day." She quickly plated a portion of food for Eri, not even caring about getting food for herself at this point. She just wanted to get away. Nozomi wanted to get back to Eri and resume playing their games or working on her manga.

The ex-villain heard Yagi talking, but ignored it. In her haste, she subconsciously let her tails fall from around her waist and the stingers anxiously started to click together. She walked to the door as quickly as possible, but was stopped by a hand gripping her upper arm.

She froze, amber eyes narrowing and lifting to meet his gaze as she scowled. "What do you want, old man? You know, you're…really pushing it. Calling me the wrong name. Asking about villains."

"Hiyori, stop it. I _know_ you."

"You...shouldn't call me by that name." Her words dripped with venom as she spoke, her tails lifting and stingers clicking louder. "Yagi. **_Let go_**."

"I'm sorry." He did as she said, but followed her out of the kitchen. "I know you've been through a lot, but-"

"You have _no idea_ what I've been through." She gritted her teeth, walking with her head bowed and trying to hide the wet sheen of her eyes. "I…don't even know what "Hiyori" or "Yori" are supposed to be like anymore. I don't feel like them. I don't even know "Nozomi" enough to know how to act. I shattered…after the last time I saw you. The things that happened…the things I've seen and felt…the things I did. I broke apart and…I'm still trying to reassemble."

Yagi came up beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder and half-expecting her to shake off his touch. Instead, he found her moving close and leaning her head against the side of his arm. "Nozomi. I'm sorry. I won't push you again, alright? I just wanted to know that you're safe. That was why I asked. If they do know where you are, I won't let them take you."

She took a deep breath, trembling with a blend of fear and frustration. Arms encircled her and the ex-villain's eyes went wide as she found herself pulled into a hug. Strangely, her pulse remained even and calm. There was no rush of terror, like when other men got too close to her. No moment of panic or flashes of memories of pain.

Tears slid down her cheeks and she released a sigh. "…not even Shouta can touch me…without me feeling like I might break apart from fear…" she mumbled. It was an awkward hug; a side-hug befitting a hero like All Might trying to be respectful. Still, it brought her comfort. "I never felt afraid of you. Not even when I was a villain. Heh. You're too pure-hearted, Yagi."

"Don't say embarrassing things like that," he muttered.

She snorted and shook her head. Pulling out of the hug, she half-grinned. "I forgot how cute you get when you're embarrassed," she taunted. "Did you want to eat with me and the kid?"

"You didn't get any food." He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched her tails slide up into her shirt and settle around her waist again.

"I'm not that hungry anyway." It was a lie. After all, she had skipped breakfast since she gave the portion she had set aside for herself to Bakugou. Her stomach was quietly growling, but she ignored it.

"No, that's okay. I'll just eat in the kitchen."

With a shrug, she turned and continued back to Eri's room. The little girl seemed to really enjoy the food, which brought Nozomi some joy. _If I can make people smile, that's enough for me. I don't really need much else, right? And when I was a villain, I could never do things like this. The only person I was supposed to make smile was Shigaraki._

Unfortunately, just thinking his name was enough to trigger certain memories. She remembered him complaining that her glasses got in the way of her actually looking at him and destroying several pairs of them until Kurogiri finally convinced him to stop. Getting beaten up when she fought people in a game store to get him a limited edition game for Christmas. Sitting with him and watching him play a dating sim for hours. Playing the game herself when he insisted.

Sadly, she did have memories of him that were less painful and annoying. Memories of tending to his wounds. Memories of running her fingers through his hair to calm him down when he got angry. Memories of sleeping next to him and feeling him cling to her for comfort. It was odd and it made her chest feel tight. Like she was in pain. For a brief moment, she wondered where he was and if he was alright, but then forced herself to push those thoughts away.

Instead, she found herself wondering where Hawks was. _He was supposed to pick me up this morning. I would've thought he would at least come in to see why I wasn't waiting out there for him._ She ran her fingers along the braid in her hair, skimming her fingertips over the red feather woven into her golden locks.

Eri saw her staring out the window and frowned. "…you…have to leave…?"

Nozomi shook her head and smiled. "Nope. Not yet, anyway."

The child nodded to herself before she resumed working on her picture. "I…I don't like it when you leave."

Hearing such sadness in the kid's voice, she turned away from the window and sat beside her on the couch. "I wish I didn't have to, but I'm not safe to be around," she tried to explain.

Looking up at her, Eri tilted her head. "Your tails…?"

"Oh. Um. Well, those are dangerous, too. But there are…_bad_ people…after me, Eri-chan. If I stay here for too long, they might find me and-"

"He won't find you! He's…locked up."

Nozomi's eyes widened, realizing that Eri was talking about Overhaul. She thought that Nozomi was afraid that Overhaul was going to take her. This sent a chill down her spine and she bit the inside of her cheek. "No…you're right, Eri-chan. He can't hurt either of us anymore. You're right." She let the child move closer when she seemed to get a little anxious.

When Eri went for a nap, the ex-villain went to the window again. It was afternoon. She knew classes had ended a bit ago so soon the students would be returning, as well as Aizawa. Her gaze skimmed over everything she could see outdoors; trees, buildings, the road itself, every blade of grass, ever pebble.

_Overhaul can't hurt me anymore, but if the League of Villains finds me, I…might not make it out alive. I need to strategize. If I do get caught, who would still be on my side? Twice and Toga. That's fine. But if I get caught by Dabi or Shigaraki…I'll definitely get hurt. Compress is a wild card; there's no telling whose side he's really on. Spinner's too neutral to pick a side. Could Twice even stand up to Dabi and Shigaraki if he had to?_

The door behind her opened and closed. Footsteps approached her, but paused a few feet away. "What are you doing?"

She jolted, tails falling from around her waist and straightening in surprise. Looking over her shoulder, she found Aizawa staring at her in what seemed to be fatigued curiosity. "Strategizing."

"For what?" He rubbed at the back of his neck, grimacing when he rolled his shoulders and they made a sound. "Where's Eri?"

"She's taking a nap." Nozomi turned to face him completely and almost smirked as she felt a flicker of her old self surface. "Need a massage, Shouta~?"

"Yeah."

The ex-villain blinked in surprise. She had expected him to get upset about her teasing him, but he seemed to not care. "Heh. Okay so sit down and I'll get started. Shoulders and neck, right?" She got behind the couch when he sat and began rubbing to the best of her ability. He had shed his scarf so that it made it a little bit easier at least.

"Maybe if you didn't slouch so much, it wouldn't hurt," she commented.

"What'd you do today?"

"Heh. Are we playing house or something? Oh, _darling_! What do you want first? Dinner, a bath, or me~? I made breakfast for everyone, played some games with Eri, worked on the next volume of my manga, made some lunch, talked to Yagi, and now I'm giving a massage to this hot, scruffy guy that asks too many questions."

He was silent for a moment and then released a groan of pleasure when she seemed to loosen a knot in the muscles behind his right shoulder. "So did you have a good day?" Aizawa finally asked.

"I mean, I cried, but it was still a pretty good day. Hawks never showed up, though. Did he call you today?" She slid her arms around the front of his shoulders, giving a slight hug and pressing a teasing kiss to the side of his neck.

The hero slouched forward, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his dark hair fall to hide his face from her. "Do you want to leave?"

"It's not that. I'm legitimately worried about him. He didn't call or send you a message or anything?"

"No." He heard her walking around the side of the couch and watched from the corner of his eye as she sat on the opposite end from him. "You had a good day?" he asked again.

"Yeah. It was a good day," she assured him. "Not super exciting, but it was pretty calm and I liked hanging out with Eri."

**Shift P.O.V**

Hawks had called him. Several times. With each call, he sounded a little more distressed in the messages he left. He needed Nozomi to stay at the dorms for a bit longer than expected and Aizawa had the suspicion that it was due to villains finding out where the two lived. It made sense since Hawks had the habit of flying everywhere he went, drawing attention to himself.

_She can't leave. If I'm going to ask her, now's the time._ However, he was still hesitant. It was illogical to wait to ask, but he was a bit anxious about how she might react. He knew her pretty well and had a feeling about which way this might go.

Turning to look at Nozomi directly, he saw she had her legs drawn up to her chest and she was toying with the red feather braided into her hair. Nervous. Defensive. Like she was still a little afraid of him, but he tried not to be angry about that. After all, she had been through a lot and he was trying to help her heal.

If he told her about the messages Hawks had left, she would become even more afraid. So, logically, he chose to keep that information from her. Especially since that knowledge would sway her answer to his question. "I want to hire you to be Eri's caretaker while I'm working. It would be for about nine hours a day and it would be easy work; just take care of her, cook a little, keep her room clean. What do you think?"

She glanced over, her glasses sliding down her nose a bit. There was alarm in her sharp amber eyes and it seemed like, for an instant, she was reliving some of her trauma. "…Eri's…caretaker…?"

He sighed, frustrated. Realizing too late that this was probably the same way Overhaul had asked her to work for him. "I should've worded that differently. I'm sorry-"

"So. Try again then," she murmured, head bowed now. Her fingers ran along her braid over and over, trembling.

"Okay." Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck, trying to figure out how to do this. _How do I word this in a way that won't remind her of what happened? _The answer came when he looked down at the drawings on the floor. Crayon drawings by Eri that showed herself, Nozomi, and Aizawa surrounded by cats. "I want to hire you to be her mom."

There was a moment of silence, in which he was worried she might refuse and ask to call Hawks to pick her up. He saw her shoulders tremble and leaned over to apologize, but then realized she was laughing. Laughing so hard that tears were springing to her eyes. "Nozomi?"

"Shouta, that was…heheheh…that was _hilarious_! That sounded almost like a _proposal_! Heheh! Workplace harassment much?" She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face. "But, yeah, I'd love to. Especially if it means seeing your sleepy, scruffy cuteness every day."


	14. Chapter 14

_Answer your phone!_ He stared down at the screen, scrolling to the number to try again. He had lost track of how many times he had attempted to call, but he was becoming more panicked with each failed attempt.

Hawks was sitting in an apartment full of hastily packed bags with what few belongings Nozomi had and whatever he had been able to grab the night Dabi gave him the panda stuffed animal. This new apartment was more secure and he made one hundred percent sure that no one was following him when he moved. This time, Hawks took extra precautions to be sure that it was secure.

Hunting for a new apartment, he had a checklist. Extra thick window panes. Furnished. Double thick curtains over the windows and the windows did not open. Soundproof walls and door. The door itself could only be unlocked from either side with a key and he had the only copy of the key. That one had been difficult to get so it had taken a couple of days.

He slouched where he was sitting on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. _Come on! Answer your phone! __**Please**__!_ Hawks could only imagine the worst. The flame-wielding villain approaching the dorm where Nozomi was, planning to burn it to the ground with all of the students inside. Stealing the mangaka away into the night and, most likely, murdering her in some horrible way.

The winged hero was becoming desperate. He wanted to keep his friend safe. He had saved her for a reason; he knew she was a good person, deep down, and he wanted to give her a better life. Now he was afraid of her being retaken by the villains and suffering a worse fate than before.

The last time he spoke to Dabi, he could tell that the scarred villain knew her whereabouts. It was glaringly obvious; from the panda plush to the way he spoke. He knew that Nozomi was alive, that Hawks had taken her somewhere, and he definitely wanted her back. So now Hawks had to figure out where to go from here.

He was supposed to be cooperating with Dabi so withdrawing was out of the question; it would look way too suspicious. He needed to continue to play dumb. Work with Dabi, talk to him as if everything was normal and calm. As if he did not have the venomous ex-villain in his possession. At the same time, he needed to keep her safe as well as other people.

Leaving her with Eraserhead was not an option. Not with so many kids in the dorm. Again, Hawks found himself imagining Dabi burning it to the ground and dragging Nozomi out of the burning building by her tails.

He needed to bring her to the new apartment and keep her there for a while. The walls were soundproof. The door could only be unlocked with the key that he had, from the inside or the outside. The windows could not be opened. All of these safety measures to make sure that no one could get to Nozomi. Now, as he thought about the various precautions, Hawks realized that it sounded more like he was keeping her prisoner.

Try as he might to make her feel comfortable and safe, he was basically holding the ex-villain captive. His captive mangaka. It made him feel uncomfortable to reach this realization, but there was nothing to be done for it. Things had to be this way if he wanted to keep her safe.

Calling again, being sent to voicemail once more, he knew what he had to say. "Since you won't answer, I'm coming there tonight. I need to bring Nozomi-chan back with me; it's not safe for her to be there." Hawks tucked the phone away and stood. This was his only option now; collect Nozomi, bring her back, and keep her hidden until he could think of some way to convincingly fake her death.

**Shift P.O.V**

"Any dinner requests?" Nozomi pulled her hair back into a ponytail, keeping her braid hanging freely beside her face. She saw Eri tilt her head and smiled. "Do you want to help me cook?"

The child's eyes widened. "I…can help?"

"Of course! You know…I used to help my mom cook when I was a kid. I was really bad at cooking though! Heh! I remember the first omelet I made; it was crispy and brown, but my mom still ate it and told me it was good. She should've told the truth." She offered a hand for Eri to hold and looked toward Aizawa, who was dozing off on the couch with a cat on his lap.

_He's pretty out of it. Must've been a tough day at the school. _Nozomi frowned briefly before catching sight of Eri's worried glance. She put on a smile again and began leading the way out of the room. _I don't want her to be worried. She's a little kid; she should be having fun. Kids shouldn't have to worry about stuff like…Overhaul. Or villains or death._

Something that she, unfortunately, had in common with Eri was that she had accidentally killed a parent when she was around Eri's age. She had always suffered from night terrors and when she was a little kid, she often got into her mother's bed to seek comfort.

One night, her night terrors were particularly bad and her stingers dug into her mother's skin. A lethal dose of venom was injected as they both slept and Nozomi had woken to her mother's body gone cold and her mother's husband shaking her, screaming.

Nozomi had been acting as a mother figure to Eri for two days and she was doing the best she could. This was extremely different from when she had acted as Shigaraki's caretaker so it was taking some getting used to. Eri was afraid to ask for things and Shigaraki had always wanted one thing or another. It was actually pretty refreshing, but left a lot of guessing when it came to meals or activities. Nonetheless, she was happy. Happier than she had been in a long time.

Aizawa was trying to help her get used to trusting men again. That took a lot of work, though. He was doing his best to just ease her into trusting him, even if it was just enough to let him touch her shoulder. To her credit, she was trying her best to let her guard down. It would take a while before their relationship was anywhere close to what it had once been.

"Okay…let's see what we can make. You really don't have something in particular you want to eat?" Nozomi dragged a little step stool over to the counter for Eri to stand on, giving the girl a look of curiosity. _Come on, Eri. You can be a little selfish. Kids are allowed to be a little bit selfish._

The pale-haired girl stared up at Nozomi for a long moment and she started to tilt her head. "C-cake…?"

A grin tugged at her lips and the ex-villain gave a nod. "You know what? Why not? Cake for dinner sounds good! I know a good pound cake recipe so we'll make some pound cake and we can top it with…" She checked the cupboards and beamed. "Oh yeah! Here we go, Eri-chan! Apricot preserves!"

Eri examined the jar as it was handed to her. "…apricot…?"

"It's good; trust me. I made a cake for Kurogiri once for his birthday and…huh? Wait. Kuro…giri? Wait. Heh. Okay let's just make this cake! We'll make it great!" Nozomi started gathering ingredients, but frowned to herself.

_Kurogiri. I haven't thought about him in forever. Is he even still alive? Why do I care? I shouldn't care about any of them! I'm happier now! I'm in a better place so why…?!_ She felt her hands shaking and stared down at them, curling her fingers inward to form fists as her vision began to blur.

It was difficult for her to focus now. She kept thinking about the past. Memories and images kept popping into her head. Before she knew it, Nozomi found herself sitting on the floor in the corner with her fingers running through her hair over and over again. Teeth gritted. Tails smacking the floor anxiously as her stingers dripped inky venom.

_Gone…gone, gone, gone. They're all gone and I'm here! What am I doing?! Where…are they? I don't know what to do! What can I do? I'm not…I'm not a hero! I'm not good enough to be a caretaker! I'm a villain! I've got so much blood on my hands! Blood?!_

Her trembling hands left her hair as tears rolled down her cheeks and speckled her glasses. _I'm…I can't…no…I can't do this! What was I thinking?! I hate this! I hate __**me**__! I feel like I'm…splitting apart! I hate this! End it! I want to! I want to end it and I want to bleed out! I want it to stop! I want to get away! I can't-!_

A small hand gripped the base of her stinger, drawing Nozomi's attention and making her jolt. Eri stared down at her with watery red eyes. "Nozomi…no…"

Lowering her gaze to the stinger, her own eyes widened. She had been holding her own tail with one hand, about to dig her stinger into her opposite forearm. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Eri-chan, I'm sorry! I couldn't even…protect you…when you needed me, I just…I was so weak! I'm still so weak! I'm not…strong enough for this!" Nozomi curled into a ball and hid her face.

"What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

She knew that voice. One of the worst case scenarios was now coming true; a student had seen her tails. The worst possible student. Nozomi knew there was no getting out of this. The quirk "twin tail" was already pretty uncommon, but adding the stingers into the mix made her even rarer.

"…Nozomi…" Eri sniffled, lifting her hand and wiping at her tears.

Footsteps approached and finally halted in front of where Nozomi was curled up on the floor. "Hey! C'mon! You're supposed to be an adult! Why the hell are you crying on the floor?!"

She was silent, but glared up at him through her golden bangs. "Just go away…just take Eri-chan out of the room…I don't want-"

"I don't care what you want! You're supposed to be an assistant teacher, aren't you? So _act_ like it!" Bakugou growled.

"I'm not-"

"I said I don't care!" He crouched down, glaring back at her. "Everybody else is too stupid to recognize you, but _I_ remember you and you weren't such a damn weakling before. Get up and act right, Mori-sensei."

"Tch. You're…just a dumb kid, you know that? Baku-brat." She wiped at her eyes, nudging her glasses up to do so. Meeting his glare directly now, she smirked and ruffled the boy's hair before he could move. "Well, whatever. Fine. You want me to act like I used to? You want a juice box or something?" she taunted.

Nozomi pushed herself to stand and gave Eri an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. That…wasn't me, huh? I'm an adult; I'm supposed to be stronger than that. Okay, let's check on the cake." She offered her hand to Eri and the little girl took it, but still looked worried. "Do you want to go get Aizawa?"

"You're…okay?" Eri asked timidly.

"I'm fine. Go get Aizawa, okay? Tell him we have cake." Nozomi watched her trot out of the room with her favorite cat following closely. She sighed and ruffled her own hair, grimacing at the fact she had pulled most of it out of her ponytail. "Damn it. I thought I was doing better. I thought I was past all of that." A look over her shoulder made her realize the teenager was still in the kitchen. "What? You want a juice box or some ginger candy? I don't have any candy anymore, but-"

"Make me another omelet like the other day," he grumbled.

"Heh. Will do if you can forget that little meltdown. You were right; that wasn't very mature of me, huh? I'm supposed to be a role model for Eri-chan, but then I break down over something as stupid as a cake."

She started steaming rice for the omelet and jumped when she heard something smack into the window. Too loud to be a simple sparrow, but the wild flapping of wings indicated it was definitely some kind of bird. Nozomi cautiously stepped toward the window and stumbled backward when she saw Hawks press his face against the glass.

"Wh-what the hell are you doing?!" She went to open the window and grimaced. "Where've you been? You never showed up and Shouta said you didn't call! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

He struggled in through the window and looked over his shoulder as he locked it again. Only when he was sure it was secure did he turn to her. "I _did_ call! I've called like thirty times! He didn't tell you?!"

"What?" Nozomi was really glad that she was the only one in the kitchen at this moment. The hero looked exhausted and his wings twitched a bit anxiously. She was sure that if a student was there, they would probably be a little unsettled. "Hawks, what's going on?"

"We've got to go. _Right now_. What are you wearing?"

She glanced down at the clothes she had borrowed from a female student. "Um…I think this is Yaoyorozu's outfit? The clothes I borrowed from you needed washed; I spilled soy sauce on the shirt. Sorry-" She tensed as he gripped her shoulders and leaned down close. "Uh…Hawks? I can wash them and give them back, but I live _here_ now. Shouta hired me to watch Eri-chan so-"

"You can't. Look, we seriously have to get out of here _right now_."

Goose bumps rose on her skin and she felt her heart sinking into her stomach. "Hawks. You're…just kidding, right? You're kidding. Heheh. This is a really bad joke, you know? I mean, why would you-?"

"Dabi gave me a panda plushie." He saw her eyes become watery, felt her trembling grow worse. "I moved all of our stuff, but we've got to get out of here _now_, okay? I'm serious. I wouldn't joke about something like this."

"What's going on?" Aizawa appeared in the doorway with Eri holding onto his sleeve, staring at the winged hero holding the ex-villain by the shoulders. "Is someone going to explain?"


	15. Chapter 15

Nozomi lowered her head as the world around her seemed to move in slow motion almost. Hawks was trying to explain the situation as best he could, but his words were hardly noticed by the ex-villain. She was staring down at the floor, feeling all of the confidence and happiness from the past two days draining away rapidly.

She wanted to curl up in a ball and just disappear. Trembling, she let her tails slide from around her waist and curl forward. Her fingertips found the curved, hardened stingers on her tails and she bit the inside of her cheeks. Nozomi's nails scraped over her stinger as she felt a pulsing, painful pressure in her skull.

The beating of her heart was loud, almost deafening, in her ears as she leaned back against the edge of the kitchen counter. The scraping of her nails over her stinger grew a little more frantic. She could taste blood. Lifting her gaze, everything seemed to be fuzzy. Even though she was still wearing her glasses.

It felt like the world was starting to tilt a little so she braced a hand on the flat surface of the countertop to brace herself. She looked at Hawks, who was frowning more than she had ever seen him frown before. The hero's eyes held real, true fear that made her knees feel weak.

Her gaze slid to Eri, who was looking between the two heroes in the room with watery red eyes. She clung to Aizawa's sleeve, almost fearfully, and then she turned her eyes toward Nozomi. The ex-villain attempted a half-smile, despite the burning in her own eyes and the weak, helpless feeling that was overtaking her.

As Nozomi turned her gaze to Aizawa, she felt her pulse seem to skip. He was staring directly at her as Hawks talked and he had yet to say anything since the winged hero had started talking. She remained completely still, unable to tear her gaze away from his. The expression he wore was not one of concern. Not fear or any sort of sadness.

The look on his face was one of anger. His mouth was turned down at the corners in more of a scowl than a frown. His eyes were narrowed, the scar beneath his right eye more prominent in this moment than she remembered it appearing before.

She finally managed to look down again and lifted a trembling hand to adjust her glasses, since they had started to slide down. _I have to go. I'm sorry, Shouta. I can't stay here. I can't put all of these kids in danger._

Tears dotted her glasses, causing her to frown and try to tilt her head to prevent it from happening again. Now the tears were freely running down her cheeks, speckling the floor beneath her. _I should've known I couldn't start over that easily. Life's not like that. Why would I be able to get away? They're going to find me. If I'm lucky, someone will kill me. If I try to live that way again…if I have to become a villain again and…I can't! I can't do it! I don't want to hurt anyone! I don't want to kill anyone! I don't want to have to live that way again!_

Nozomi's body tensed, a startled yelp escaping her, as she felt arms tightly wrap around her and hold her against a warm body. She found her face being pressed into the dark fabric of Aizawa's shirt. Her tails curled loosely around his left leg, giving it a gently squeeze as she trembled in his grip.

Her old self would have had a snappy remark ready for this sort of occasion. She would probably have taunted him for doing something like this. That was her old self. "Hiyori". A deceptively cheerful demeanor. Ready to help. Ready to fight. Ready to tease whoever she liked without a care.

She was a different person now, though. Nozomi had a fear of being touched, thanks to Overhaul and Shigaraki. She wanted to scream and fight against Aizawa for holding her so closely. The ex-villain felt very little comfort from being held. She felt trapped. She felt like she needed to run from him. Like there was an impending danger looming close.

**Shift P.O.V**

Hawks knew her well enough to know that no amount of hugging would make her feel better. She could barely tolerate him getting close to her so being hugged by the grumpy, scruffy-looking hero probably made her feel on edge. He could see her tail tightening around Eraser Head's leg, a stinger inching toward the back of his knee. She was stiff. Fearful.

"Let go. We seriously have to leave, Eraser. This isn't a joke." Hawks started toward the two and tilted his head when the dark-haired hero glared at him.

"She's not leaving."

"You've got to let me take her with me. Dabi knew that I had taken her. If he knew that much, what if he knows if she's here? He'll burn this place to the ground!" He hated saying this in front of the little girl that was also in the room, but it had to be said. _How does he not realize how dangerous this is? He's seriously going to just put all these kids in danger just so he can-!_

"N-Nozomi…don't leave!" The little girl sniffled and ran over to join the two, clinging tightly to the ex-villain.

It seemed to snap her out of her fear-frozen state because Nozomi jolted a little and looked down. The young woman's sharp amber eyes were shining wetly with tears as she tried to smile at the girl reassuringly. A sad little smile that made Hawks feel beyond terrible for what he was doing.

She was clearly happy here. Caretaking was what she was about so it probably felt completely natural for her to take care of the kid. Not to mention, Hawks saw how much she enjoyed cooking back in their old apartment. She had been happier than he had ever seen her before. The thought of tearing her away from that bliss caused a certain painful pressure in his chest, but he had to get her away before something awful happened.

"Nozomi…look, I have an idea, okay? It's just going to take some time. Please just come with me and I'll bring you back when it's all clear. I swear I'll bring you back as soon as I think it's safe." He held out a hand, hoping she would take it and let him get her to the security of their new home.

To his relief, she pulled away from Aizawa. Though it hurt to see the despair in her eyes as she turned toward him. Nozomi's wrist was caught by Aizawa, causing her to wince. "Shouta, I can't…I can't do this, okay? I can't put everyone here in danger. He's right. If I stay here-"

"If something does happen, what makes you think these students aren't capable of protecting themselves? This is a school for heroes. Every one of those students has been working on strengthening their quirks and preparing themselves to become professional heroes. If an attack happens, I'll do everything it takes to protect her and I know that they would do the same."

_Kind of a sappy speech_, Hawks thought as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You're making her uncomfortable. She doesn't like being touched."

"I'm pushing her. I'm willing to push her to help her overcome her trauma. It's more than what you were doing. Your methods were to make her try to forget her past and just start over, but she needs to heal. Making manga isn't enough. She needs to push her limits."

"This isn't some _class_ or something! Look; just let Nozomi do what _she_ thinks is best." His wings twitched back a bit as his frustration grew. This idea was absolutely for her safety, but he could not ignore the fact that he wanted her to come back with him for his own selfish reasons as well.

"I hired her to take care of Eri-"

"I can't…" Nozomi stepped away, her arm sliding from Aizawa's grip and her tails whipping side to side, the stingers shining at their tips. She shook her head, stepping back from him when he started toward her. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Shouta. I'll be back again, but we've got to sort this mess out first."

She let her long, golden hair out of its ponytail and crouched down. Beckoning Eri over to her, Nozomi embraced her in a hug. "I'm sorry, Eri-chan. I've got to go for a little while. But guess what! When I come back, I'll bring you lots of coloring books, okay? And we'll cook together again and I'll bring my manga with me so I can read it to you. How's that sound?"

Watching her say good bye to this small child was hurting his heart. Hawks turned away and started to shrug off his jacket, planning to make Nozomi wear it. _I'll have to do something to make it up to her. I'll think of something good._ He saw her remove her hairband and slip it onto the little girl's wrist like a bracelet. The sight made him feel even guiltier about taking Nozomi away.

**Shift P.O.V**

This apartment was much more secure than where they previously lived. Nozomi stood near the door, staring at her surroundings, even after Hawks had settled on the couch. When her gaze landed on the panda plushie, lying abandoned on the floor, she grimaced. "You kept that?"

"I was in a rush to get everything moved. I'll toss it somewhere tomorrow." He tipped his head back, releasing a sigh of relief.

She fidgeted with her tails, trying to decide what to do next. She was upset about leaving Eri and Aizawa, but she knew it was for everyone's safety. Nozomi had no desire to act sulky in front of Hawks though. "So? Are you giving me a tour or what?"

The hero lifted his head again to meet her gaze and grinned sheepishly. "Awww. You're excited, right? It costs a little more, but you've got to admit it's pretty nice, huh? It's all furnished, too, so I didn't even have to worry about moving furniture; I just left it all."

_Wow. That sounds lazy._ She smirked and pushed up her glasses. "What? No _friends_ to help you out?" she taunted. "I thought the term was "lone _wolf_"."

He had pushed himself to sit up by this point and turned to her with a slight frown. The young man rubbed the back of his neck and half-shrugged. Hawks offered no further words on the subject, but looked almost sort of hurt for a second. "Okay, so we have soundproof walls, the windows don't open and they're super thick…"

Nozomi followed him to the kitchen, listening to his explanations and thinking about the future. _If someone does break in while he's at work, I need a plan. He said Dabi gave him that panda thing. Dabi's pretty self-centered so I doubt he would've actually told the others yet. So if anyone breaks in, it will be him. _She chewed the inside of her cheek, anxiously thinking the scenario over.

It was easy to imagine him burning through the door, setting the hallway outside on fire in the process. He would be smug. He had always been smug when they were alone. Well smug and kind of needy. He would smirk and walk in, seeing her probably working on her manga.

She would need to defend herself and the closest items to the couch, where she would be working, happened to just be pillows or art supplies. If Nozomi tried to sting him, she would need to get close and that would mean risking getting burned alive. Her best bet would be to get in close under the guise of greeting him as a friend and then sinking her stingers into him as deep as possible.

_As long as he doesn't tell Shigaraki, everything will be fine. Right?_ She saw Hawks yawn and her caretaker instincts kicked in. "Did you sleep last night?"

He gave her a sleepy half-smile. "Nope. I've been pretty busy."

Nozomi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Just go to bed then. No worries; I'll make some dinner and wake you up when it's done."

The hero blinked slowly and nodded. "Oh! Right! I didn't show you yet. Come with me." He reached over, gently grabbing her hand and trudging off across the apartment.

She followed him, but stared down at where he was holding her hand for a moment. It was odd. She could remember a time when Hawks even getting close to holding her hand would send her into a panic. Her pulse was a little fast right now, but that was it.

Now she looked at her roommate a little more closely and frowned to herself. _He looks exhausted. I mean, he literally looks like he hasn't slept in like a week. It's only been two days. He must've been pretty worried. _Somehow, the thought of Hawks actually being worried about her made her feel weird. Not exactly guilty, but kind of irritated and maybe a tiny bit sad.

"The bedroom's bigger than the last one so the bed's bigger and it's got a bathroom attached. Pretty great, right?" Hawks flashed her a grin, clearly proud.

She tilted her head and pushed up her glasses. "Uh…yeah. That's pretty cool." Nozomi looked over her shoulder toward the couch with longing. "Okay, so, you need to get some sleep. I'll wake you up when dinner's ready."

There was a loud thud that made her turn to look at the bed. Her roommate was sprawled there on his stomach, his crimson wings neatly tucked against his back and a quiet snore coming from him. _Well that didn't take long._ She ran a hand through her hair and sighed to herself. _Dumb bird._

As she was walking back to the kitchen, she paused and looked toward the panda plushie on the floor near the couch. Nozomi walked over to retrieve it and held it up in her hands, examining the stuffed animal carefully. Trying to imagine Dabi handing this to Hawks made her almost want to laugh, if not for the fact that it was obviously a silent threat.

The thought of seeing him again made her stomach hurt. Not in a "butterflies in the stomach" way. This was fear. Nausea. Above all, it was anger.


	16. Chapter 16

Being left alone in the apartment gave her a lot of time to think. Her thoughts ranged from ideas for her manga to strategizing an attack plan if there was a break in to pondering her own rehabilitation. Hawks had his methods of trying to rehabilitate her. Aizawa had his own ideas about it.

She had been going with whatever they thought would help her move past her traumas, but she gave little thought to what she imagined would actually help her. As she sat on the couch, staring at her sketchbook, she frowned and began chewing on the end of her pencil. She had, once again, found herself sketching Shigaraki. Along with several dead birds.

_The past isn't something I can just forget_, she determined. _I know that's what Hawks wants me to do. He thinks that if I just don't think about it, everything will be okay. It doesn't work that way, though. I still have all of these memories and they're not going to just disappear._

Tilting her head, her glasses slid down a little. She tapped the tip of her pencil against the paper, beside Shigaraki's face. _I'm never going to become a new person. It doesn't work that way. I have too many memories as "Yori" to just move on as a new person called "Nozomi". I am Yori._

Her pencil lifted from the paper and she let her hand drift to the margin of the sheet, hovering over a clean area. She began a rough sketch of a face. A male face with a mask that resembled a bird's beak. Her pulse quickened as she did this, but there was also a small flicker of relief that came with it.

_Hawks wants me to be "Nozomi" the mangaka. Aizawa wants me to be "Hiyori", Eri's mother figure. But…I need to be what __**I**__ want to be. I need to be my true self if I really want to be able to heal. The "Yori" that Shigaraki relied on for support. The strong "Yori" that did everything she could to keep the people important to her safe. That's who I have to be._

Glaring down at the sketch of Overhaul, her tails lifted. The tip of her left stinger drew a light X over the man's face, trailing dark venom over it like ink. A smirk curled her lips and she had to stifle a laugh.

When the apartment door clicked unlocked, she tensed and leaned down a little into a defensive sort of pose. The sketchbook was hugged against her chest as she watched the door open to admit Hawks. She relaxed when she saw him and frowned. "What do you have?"

The winged hero seemed almost surprised by her expression, but soon grinned. "Want to see? It's pretty exciting. I got a call from the publisher and-!" His eyebrows raised when she rushed forward and he let her take the box from him. "They gave us two dozen copies and they're shipping some to stores around Tokyo. I had to improvise the bio section for you. Hopefully I got it close enough."

She carried the box over to the coffee table and eagerly opened it. Inside were, as he promised, two dozen copies of the first volume of her manga. A glossy cover, featuring her artwork. Black and white pages with one page near the front in full color. A summary on the back, composed by a staff member of the publisher to try to catch a potential reader's attention.

When she got to the bio at the back, she tilted her head. "Tsukihara Nozomi. Scorpio, blood type A positive. Her favorite color is purple and her favorite food is chocolate. This is Tsukihara's first book, but she's been a fan of manga since she was a teenager." It was a short, simple description.

"Did I get it right?" Hawks sat beside her on the couch, putting a few takeout containers on the coffee table in front of him.

"Why do you think I'm a Scorpio?" she asked, her stingers clicking together in faint agitation.

"I don't know your birthday and you have stingers, so…" He trailed off and saw her frown. "What? If you're upset, I can call and tell them there's a misprint, Nozomi-chan."

She slouched, her arms wrapping around herself. Her nails dug into her skin and she bowed her head. "Listen. We need to talk."

The hero tilted his head, his wings twitching slightly behind him. "What's up? Was it a rough day?"

"Nozomi…can be my pen name. That's fine. But it's never going to be my real name. Can you just…call me Yori?" The girl's sharp amber eyes shifted to the side and she saw him running his fingers through his hair.

"Yori, huh? I guess. If you're really okay with it." He sighed and leaned back, his wings moving to let him rest against the couch. "Hey. How long's it been since I brought you in?"

Her pulse started to race and her eyes narrowed. _This is it. I pissed him off and now he's going to just take me to jail. I'm not going to apologize and grovel. I'd rather rot in prison than do that._ Her nails sank a little deeper into her skin. "It's been a while. Like a month and a half? What? Are you tired of me already?"

"Nope! I just thought maybe it's time I tell you my name," he admitted, grinning. "We've been together this long and I think we're probably friends now, right? What do you think?"

Yori blinked in surprise and turned to actually face him. "Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, unless you don't think we're friends."

For the longest time, she had thought he just saw her as a project. Something fun to work on when he was home from his hero duties. A hobby. The idea of actually being friends felt a little strange. Especially since she was pretty sure friends would never lock friends in an apartment alone all day.

"…friends are cool…" she finally mumbled, looking away again.

"So let's reintroduce ourselves." He held out a hand to her, his head still tilted and that carefree grin still on his lips. "I'm Keigo Takami."

She felt herself actually blushing a little from how embarrassing this situation was, but took his hand. "Mori Yori."

"So…can I get you to autograph a book for me?" He lifted one of the books out of the box and his grin turned kind of sheepish. "You can sign it however you want."

The ex-villain took the book in her hands and flipped to the bio section. Her tails came around and she signed "Mori Yori" using the tip of a stinger as a pen, her venom spelling out her name. Offering it to him, she was unable to keep herself from smirking. "Takami, huh? That's unexpected."

**Shift P.O.V**

_Mori Yori. Was that how Dabi introduced her when we met? _He yawned and stretched his wings out at his sides. He was exhausted from work, but even more tiring than that was his meeting after Yori had gone to sleep on the couch.

There was no way he could tell her he was meeting with Dabi again. It had been about a week since the panda plushie was given to him and this was the first time Dabi spoke to him since then. If he told Yori that he was meeting with the villain, he knew it would send her spiraling back into panic.

For the most part, Dabi seemed like he just wanted to talk about the League of Villains and their activities. It was only around the end of their meeting that he asked about the stuffed animal. Hawks, without even blinking, told him he had kept it.

He tried to play it off as him saving it for the right fan; someone cute and sweet. Meanwhile, his heart was racing. To lie and say it was in the trash would be risky. There was no telling how closely Dabi had been monitoring him. The stuffed animal was in a plastic bag, tucked beneath the kitchen sink.

Hawks ran a hand through his wind-tousled hair, a quiet sigh escaping him as his wings stretched again. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the door was locked and then made his way to the bedroom. Shedding his jacket, he kept his eyes on the open doorway.

He left his shirt and pants bunched up on the floor near his boots and put on some comfortable pajama pants before he finally gave in to an overwhelming urge. Quietly crossing the bedroom, he stepped through the doorway and went to the couch. Hawks leaned over the back of it, peering down at his roommate.

Yori was dead asleep. Curled up on her side, clutching one of the couch pillows to her chest and breathing softly. Her tails draped over her legs and the curved stingers peeking out from beneath her blanket. She slept peacefully; completely unaware of the hero watching her.

The hero smiled and reached down. His fingertip gently prodded her cheek and he saw her eyes slowly open. When the ex-villain turned her head to look up at him, she squinted and frowned. "Come on."

"Nn? What…what time is it? You need breakfast?" she mumbled. The girl sat up, looking extremely groggy and yawning. It was clear she was still at least half-asleep.

Hawks reached out for her hand and urged her to stand up. "Come on," he repeated. Leading the ex-villain away from the couch, through the doorway to the bedroom. She grumbled a little, irritable from being woken up, but she was too tired to really put up a fight.

Thankfully, she was tired enough that she fell asleep almost as soon as she lied on the bed. The girl curled up on her side, facing away from him, and was soon sleeping as if she had been there the whole time. Hawks settled beside her, but remained awake for a while. Staring at the doorway and trying to not imagine Dabi burning through their apartment door and dragging Yori out by her tails.

Again, he ran his fingers through his hair and looked down at his roommate. She frowned and drew into a tighter ball, her tails curling so her stingers were in front of her and hanging over the edge of the bed. Hawks got up to close the door and when he returned to the bed, he lied behind her. His left wing moved forward, covering her protectively.

_She's trying to get better and she's doing a good job. If she sees Dabi, it'll ruin everything. I'm not going to let him take her. No matter what. _He closed his eyes and let his arm fall around her waist. _You'll be okay. I promise._

**Shift P.O.V**

Her night began with dreams of blue fire. Intense heat burning away at her flesh as a hand reached for her through the flames. The sound of Shigaraki's voice penetrating the crackle of the inferno around her.

Now she was waking from a different dream. A simple dream about walking with a friend she had not seen in quite a while. Yori's eyes opened and she stared at the wall for a moment until it registered in her brain that there was an arm wrapped around her and a blurry red shape draped over her.

_Wait. How did I get here?_ She looked over her shoulder and found her roommate's sleeping face. _What was his real name? Takami? Keigo Takami._ She smirked and began to think of all of the ways she could tease him for bringing her into his bed.

The growl of her stomach interrupted any thoughts of vengeful taunting and soon she was carefully sliding from his hold. He mumbled something incoherent in his sleep and slumped onto his stomach. Both wings twitched before settling against his back, neatly folded.

_Okay. Breakfast._ Yori pulled her hair away from her face and went to get started cooking. _Does he deserve something good? He did get my book published. And he's been pretty nice lately._ She smirked and shook her head. _Omelet with rice, it is. Maybe I can draw a bird on top with ketchup._

She had plated the omelet and had some coffee brewing when she started looking from something to clean the kitchen with. Yori was looking under the sink for some cleaning supplies when she spotted the plastic bag. She opened it and locked eyes with the panda stuffed animal.

"Why were you under the sink? He said he would throw you away." The toy was perched on the counter and she leaned down to examine it, frowning. Yori half-expected it to smell like cinders since it was from Dabi, but it only smelled like the cleaning supplies under the sink.

When she thought about it, it was actually weird for Dabi to choose a panda stuffed animal. Only two members of the League of Villains knew that pandas were her favorite animal. Kurogiri, because he knew she collected panda photo books and she would sometimes share them with him, and Twice, because they had been pretty good friends and had talked about her favorite animal.

_So the question now is…if Shigaraki knows. Dabi would only know I like pandas if he asked Twice. So Twice probably suspects something. Twice wouldn't hurt me, but if he blurted out that he knows where I am…Shigaraki won't want to waste any time. He'll send someone and…_

"Something smells great. What's for breakfast? Oh." Hawks paused in the kitchen doorway, frowning and tilting his head. "Put it back in the bag."

"You should throw it away. I thought only crows collected trash as treasure," she taunted.

"Just…put it back in the bag and put it under the sink. I'll explain later." He watched her closely, making sure she did as he said. "Do you need anything while I'm out? I can pick stuff up after work if you want something."

"Hair dye." Yori smirked and handed his breakfast to him. She leaned in close, her face stopping inches from his. "I want a hair color that's more "Yori"."


	17. Chapter 17

_Scissors, gloves, clips…Wow._ Hawks tilted his head, staring in amazement at the selection of hair dye. _There are a lot of options. I went with blonde last time because I thought it'd be cool to match. She didn't really say what color she wanted. Just something "Yori". So did she mean white? She had white hair before we dyed it._

He rubbed his chin for a moment before his eyes settled on a color that he, personally, thought was really nice. Of course, he preferred the blonde shade she had now. If it was up to him, she would just keep the color she had. Not that anyone saw her besides him.

Hawks grabbed the box of hair color and smiled, deciding she would probably like this color. As he turned to leave the aisle, he was met with a figure standing further down the aisle from him. A figure in a hooded jacket with their face hidden in shadow, lingering in front of a shelf near his only way out.

"Is it safe for you to be here?" he murmured, approaching Dabi.

"No one's seen my face yet." Dabi looked down into the shopping basket.

It took a lot of effort to try to stay calm. The villain was walking beside him now as he made his way to the front of the store to buy his groceries. He wanted to hurry home, but now he knew he would have to take his time. Possibly do some more shopping, just to try to deter Dabi from suspecting something.

"Any word on Grayscale?" The question came once they were outside in the rainy evening.

Hawks felt his pulse speed up and he gripped the plastic bags tightly. "I haven't heard much. No one's really looking for her. She's not exactly top priority for the heroes."

Dabi shrugged and turned his head to look directly at him. "You'd think someone would've found her body by now, at least. The leader wants her corpse if she's dead so if you hear that someone found her…"

"You'd be the only person I'd tell," Hawks assured him. "Who else would care about her? What does Shigaraki want the body for?"

A smirk stretched the villain's lips and he lowered his head a little. "Can't tell you right now." An arm slung around the hero's shoulders and pulled him against his side. Leaning down a little, Dabi brought his face inches away from the blond's. "You know I'd like it better if she's alive."

"Same. She's cute. It'd be too bad if she died."

"So if you find her alive, you'll let me know, right?"

"Of course." Meanwhile, Hawks was starting to feel a little sick to his stomach. He raised an eyebrow and attempted a joking tone to lighten the mood. "Were you stalking me or something? How'd you find me?"

"I slipped a tracking chip into your feathers." Dabi saw his eyebrows both raise and he smirked. "You think I have that kind of money? I saw you go into the store." He drew away from Hawks and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Don't flatter yourself. If I wanted to stalk someone, I'd pick someone more interesting."

The winged hero stared after him as he walked away, the unease in the pit of his stomach growing. _He knows that I have her. He's edging around the fact that I took her, but why? If Shigaraki's that desperate to get her back, wouldn't you try harder to figure out where she is?_

Just in case he was being watched, Hawks decided to delay returning home. He stopped in a bookstore to grab some manga he thought his roommate might enjoy. He grabbed some ice cream bars from a convenience store. He went into a few more shops that he picked at random. In each of these places, he left behind a copy of his roommate's manga; his attempt at quietly promoting it.

**Shift P.O.V**

Yori tapped her pencil against the sketchbook, head tilted and eyes narrowed on the figure she was drawing. _You…just keep haunting me, don't you? There's no escape, is there? Look at you. You're just…burned into my brain. You're like an infection that won't go away._

She pushed her glasses up with a fingertip, her tails quietly thumping against the couch cushion at her side. The sketch stared up at her from the paper with an intense expression. A face she could still see even with her eyes closed. A face she had seen almost every day when she was a villain.

Dry, scarred lips. Eyes narrowed with malice, the skin around them irritated with dryness and raw in some spots from rubbing. The neck littered with scratches. The hair, a wavy sort of texture and pale in shading. Shigaraki's face stared up at the ex-villain with such clarity that the girl could practically hear his voice in her head.

Leaning down a little, she bit the inside of her cheek and tilted her head slightly further. "My girl…here you are…all alone. What are you doing? You think it's really that easy? What do you think he'll do with you when he gets bored? Come back…I need my support. Without you…I'm so…"

She shook her head and leaned back, a hand lifting to cover her mouth. _Why did I do that? I said all of that out loud! Ugh! This is so stupid! Why did I do that?! It doesn't make any sense!_

Yori's hand slid down from her mouth, inching toward her neck and scratching at it. Her tails rose from the couch cushions and prepared to draw an "X" over Shigaraki's face, but she jolted out of her fixation when the door opened. Amber eyes darted in that direction and locked onto her roommate's curious gaze.

"Everything okay?" He crossed the apartment with a few shopping bags in hand, dripping rain water with every step. The feathers puffed up a little on his wings and it was the only warning before he shook them to dry off.

She lifted an arm to protect her face from getting wet. "Tch. Did you fly in the rain again? You know it's _storming_, right? One hit from some lightning and you'll be _fried chicken_."

"It's faster than walking. Anyway, I got you some stuff so-" The hero was silenced by her lifting a hand and shooting him a glare. Cocking his head to the side, he lifted the shopping bags with a quiet rustle.

Yori went into the bathroom and returned with a fluffy white towel. Her caretaker urges kicked in when she saw his hair dripping. She still had an aversion to getting too close to men, but she forced herself to stand in front of him and towel-dry his hair for him.

"Seriously. You're going to catch a cold doing stupid stuff like this. Is that what you want? I'm not going to baby you if you catch a cold. You're the number two hero now and you're really acting this irresponsible?" She drew away and saw that his blond hair was now extremely fluffy. Like a baby chick's fluff.

Hawks heard her snort, saw her cover her mouth with a hand, and he tilted his head to the other side. A grin crossed his face, happy to see his roommate like this. He was used to her brooding or serious sides; it was rare to see this side of her. Leaning over, he ruffled her hair with a gloved hand. "You know, your smile is pretty cute. You shouldn't hide it."

Her tails whipped around, the stingers pressing lightly at his other arm through his sleeve. "What're you chirping about, fluffy?"

"I got your hair dye," he stated, rustling the bag again. "I didn't know what color would be "Yori", but I think I picked a good one!"

What Hawks had picked was a rather nice shade of pink. What Yori's hair color became at the end of the coloring session was a soft peach shade. Needless to say, she was less than thrilled. To make matters worse, he was obviously distracted and not evenly remotely apologetic about her hair.

Yori noticed how quiet he was throughout the coloring session. Last time he had been excited to see the result, but this time his thoughts were clearly elsewhere. Even during dinner, he seemed to be lost in thought.

They were sitting on the couch as Yori worked on a storyboard for a new chapter when she finally could no longer stand his silence. Hawks was sitting about a foot away, absentmindedly playing with her tails, when she turned to him. "Did…something happen today? You're not your usual, chirpy self."

He frowned a bit and ran a fingertip along the curve of her left stinger. "No. I'm just tired," he replied without looking up.

The last time he was like this, it had been when Endeavor was injured. Of course, he had felt guilty that time. _Does he feel guilty now? Something obviously happened. What was it? What could make him sulk like this?_

Yori frowned as well now. Her first thought was that something had happened to Endeavor again, but this felt different. Her eyes narrowed on her rough sketch, her grip tightening on her pencil as horrible thoughts came to mind.

These horrible thoughts stayed with her even after he had gone to sleep, snoring beside her and taking up way too much room on the bed. Wrapped in her separate blanket, facing away from him, she was biting the inside of her cheek.

_What happens if he gets bored of this? What happens if he decides I'm too much trouble? What if he kills me? I'm just a toy to him, aren't I? And toys…are disposable. If he gets bored, he could just kill me and dump my body somewhere. The League of Villains would get blamed for it because of my connection to them._

She sat upright on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around herself and nails lightly digging into her own skin. Yori cast a glance over her shoulder at the winged hero and gritted her teeth as panic spiked. She remembered waking up on the couch with him standing over her, feather blade in hand. His expression turned to disappointment the second he realized she was awake, but she remembered that smile he was wearing at first. A small, excited smile. Like a child about to tear open a Christmas present.

_If he kills me…no one will know it was him. He's a hero. He's the number two hero. This isn't like Overhaul or Shigaraki, where someone might believe that I was killed by them. No one would believe a hero murdered me!_

She twisted onto her knees on the bed, facing him and staring down at the sleeping hero. Her lips twitched at the corner, her amber eyes going wide as she took in the blurry view of the young man unconscious on his side, his wings spread out behind him on the bed. Yori reached out a trembling hand and gently pushed messy blond locks of hair away from his face.

_Look at you! You're…just __**roosting**__, huh? Roosting like the cute little bird you are! Birds, birds, birds like Chisaki!_ She muffled a frantic giggle with both hands. _Chisaki?! No, no, no…NO! Different bird, different bird! So many birds! You must really want to die! Playing…with a scorpion like me, huh? Look at you! I could just…jam my stingers in you…and pump you full of venom! Just like…just like…_

Yori's tails lifted and swayed behind her as she tilted her head. Peach-colored strands of hair fell over her right eye and she blinked away tears. _My mom…just like my mom. The venom…goes in…your heart…quits…and it's all over. Just like that. Your life…gone. Everyone that loved you…left behind._

She moved closer to the sleeping hero and wiped at her eyes so she could see him just a bit more clearly. He was still blurry since her glasses were off, but when she got really close, she could see the rise and fall of his chest. The peaceful expression he wore as he slept; no trace of his cocky grin he was so fond of.

Her tails raised and a stinger's tip lightly grazed over his arm. In response, he moved onto his back with his wings extended out to his sides. Still asleep. The tips of both stingers ran along the inside of his forearms, tracing veins yet not puncturing the skin. To her confusion, he actually made a sound of pleasure. It made her want to punch both stingers into his veins and tear at them.

_Look at you…such a…bright, shining hawk. Aren't you? A cute, little hero…too fast for your own good. You like secrets, don't you? You get…a sick thrill from this. You like…the feeling of my stingers on your skin. Masochist._

She smirked as a terrible, brilliant idea came to mind. Something she would definitely not act on. It was just an amusing thought. To let a weak dose of venom leak from her stingers as she scratched a design on his skin.

Yori leaned down a little more. _What a noble little bird you are! You saved a scorpion! But you know…if you listened to that story I told Eri-chan…instead of squawking at Shouta about how you "saved" me…you'd know the bird that tries to eat the scorpion gets stung a thousand times!_ She grinned and her tails moved away from his skin, twirling around each other in excitement.

The hero blinked up at her groggily and tilted his head. "Nnnh? What are you doing?" He tried to push himself up, but found the ex-villain quickly pinning him down again as she straddled his waist. "Yori-chan? Hey-!" Hawks tensed and gritted his teeth as he felt the gentle scrape of her stingers over his upper thighs.

She studied him for a moment, still wearing that grin. _Birds…but all birds are bad, right?! Look at Chisaki! Where is he? Where's Chisaki? I want to tear him apart! I want…to…wait…? _Yori's grin faded into a worried frown. Her stingers lifted and she felt a furious rush of blood to her face.

Without a word, Yori got off of him and curled up on her side facing away. The blanket was pulled tight around her, her head tucked beneath the edge of it to hide her face. _What was I doing? Why did I…do that?_

"Yori-chan? Are you okay? Were you having a night terror?"


	18. Chapter 18

It was a miracle that she actually managed to fall asleep after what happened. Her dreams were distorted and terrifying, but she had somehow slept. Now Yori was sitting on the couch, slouching as she tried to focus on the manga that Hawks had brought her the previous day.

He was still sleeping. How he could resume sleeping so peacefully after the previous night's incident was perplexing. The more Yori thought about it, the more it weighed on her. She had gotten close to doing him real bodily harm. He could have died.

After reading the same sentence over and over again, she finally put the book down and ran her fingers through her partially tangled peach-colored hair. She bit the inside of her cheek and lowered her head as she recalled that instant when his eyes filled with fear. It was only for a brief second and then he had looked concerned. Not for himself, but for her.

_Why?! Why does he care? What does he actually gain from this? It's not like anyone knows that he's trying to help me so it's not like he's doing this for recognition! What's the point of helping someone like me? I could've killed him last night! I just…totally lost myself for a second! That hasn't happened in a while. I haven't gone that far since right before he took me._

She felt her glasses starting to slide down her nose and moved a hand to stop them. Pushing them back up, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. As bad as it seemed, he was still alive. Any harm she managed to do was extremely minimal. She was sure her stingers only lightly grazed him.

Both hands threaded into her hair, fingertips pressing at her scalp and teeth sinking into the inside of her cheek so hard that it bled. Thinking about the way her stingers brushed over his skin inevitably reminded her of the noise he made. Now her face started to turn a bright shade of red.

_No worries…right? He was barely awake anyway. He probably doesn't remember it happened. I need to just…think about something else. No worries._ Yori picked the manga up again and flipped to the page she had last been reading.

Now that she was working on her own manga, she found herself studying this book rather than simply enjoying it the way she had before. She was admiring the character designs and the shading, the detailed scenery in the backgrounds, the dialogue and the plot.

_I wonder if I could make a manga for kids. Eri seemed really interested in stories the last time I visited. I wish I could make something she could read. The one I'm working on now is a little too mature for her. Maybe if I made the plot a little simpler, but it has to have stuff a little kid could relate to._

She found her thoughts wandering to Aizawa and she frowned, chewing at the inside of her cheek. Their last interaction felt like months ago. She had been so terrified of Dabi finding his way onto the UA campus and killing anyone that stood between him and taking her back to the League.

It was obvious that Aizawa was frustrated. She knew that he had every right to be. Unlike Hawks, Aizawa had known her before the trauma. Before the horrible things she suffered through at Overhaul's hands and before the weight of being a villain nearly made her go insane. Aizawa had seen her at her best; assisting him with the students and attempting to find her place among heroes.

They were so close back then. She had thought they would be together long-term. She could have imagined spending every day with the grumpy, eternally sleepy hero. She was in love with him. Of course, everything changed after the summer training camp.

A lot had happened to Yori. Too much that she wanted to just forget. Encounters with Dabi, multiple instances where Shigaraki had relied on her for comfort, terrifying and life-scarring moments with Overhaul after being taken to become Eri's caretaker. She was no longer the same person who had worked as Aizawa's doting, carefree assistant. No longer the same ex-villain that had shared a bed with the erasure hero and enjoyed cuddling against him while he slept.

_I'm…not the same._ Yori's frown deepened and her tails subconsciously lifted. They struck the couch cushion beside her in annoyance. _I…__**hate**__…that I'm like this. It's been almost two months, right? Or something like that. Since I saw Overhaul. But I still can't get very close to men._

Her memory of her last meeting with Overhaul was fuzzy, but it had involved straddling his waist as she cut a heart shape over the left side of his chest with a knife. She did remember Dabi telling her afterwards that she had looked pretty crazy when she did it. There was some kind of disconnect in her brain when she attacked Overhaul because when she thought back on it, it felt like she had been outside of her body watching it happen; as if she had no control.

_I was able to get close enough to Hawks that I could dry his hair yesterday, but the whole time it felt like my stomach was twisting in knots. Shouta said that I'm not going to get better if I don't push myself. Maybe…when I see him again…I can try getting close and touching him?_

What Yori had not noticed was the winged figure emerging from the bedroom behind the couch. Yawning, scratching his stomach and stretching his wings a little. Hawks leaned over the back of the couch, staring down over her shoulder at the manga and tilting his head. "Is that a good one?"

She jolted, nearly dropping her book. Her glasses almost fell off when she jumped and she lifted a trembling hand to push them up again. "Yeah. It's good," she mumbled, keeping her face forward to avoid his gaze.

"That's good. I got you a bunch of shoujo manga and I wasn't sure which ones you've already read." He walked around the couch and settled beside her, paying no mind to the fact that his knee was touching hers. "So are we going to talk about what happened last night?"

Yori felt heat rising to her face. A mix of embarrassment and irritation was settling in as she slouched, bringing the manga up to try to hide her expression. "I don't know what you're talking about, birdbrain."

Hawks gave her a lazy sort of half-grin and leaned over. "You know, your weird nicknames are starting to grow on me."

"You really have time to be sitting here?"

He tilted his head to the other side and his grin grew. "Yep! I have the day off. I need to run some errands and stuff, but other than that, I've got the whole day free. So what do you want to do today, Yori-chan?"

She managed to fight down her blush and turned to give the hero a frown. "Not like there's much we _can_ do. I can't go outside. Don't get my hopes up."

"We can still do stuff! Don't let your hopes go spiraling down that easily. We could work on the next volume of your manga or we could read or…" Hawks rubbed the back of his neck, visibly struggling with something else to add to the list. Eventually, his expression brightened again. "I know something fun we can do!"

Yori watched him stand and go into the bathroom. _What exactly does he have in mind?_ She heard the water start running in the shower and she immediately drew into the far corner of the couch. Her tails lifted and thumped against the cushions anxiously as she stared at the bathroom doorway. There was a rustle of cloth and then nothing other than the sound of running water.

_That…feathered freak. Is he really showering with the door open?_ Despite her irritation, she still felt undeniable unease. The girl's amber eyes remained narrowed, fixed on the open bathroom doorway. Her whole body tensed when the water finally stopped and she held her breath in terrified anticipation.

When he finally emerged from the bathroom, he had a towel wrapped around his waist and was carrying his pajamas in one hand. Water droplets clung to his wings, making them shimmer in a weird way under the lamplight. In typical Hawks fashion, he seemed completely unbothered by the fact that he was in a towel in front of his roommate. "Okay, I'm going to get dressed and then I'll take care of those errands. Need anything from the store?"

Yori's eyes locked onto his and she somehow managed to keep a straight, calm expression as she adjusted her glasses. "I have a grocery list."

"Okay. Be right back."

She tilted her head, again finding herself chewing on the inside of her cheek. A hand lifted to scratch at her neck. _Shameless birdbrain. Why does he seem so excited about running errands? What does he have planned?_

Hawks came out of his room a few minutes later; fully dressed this time. He took the list from Yori and gave her a bright smile. "I'll be back pretty soon."

"Okay…? What'd you mean when you said you had an idea of what we could do today? You know how freaked out I was when you started the shower?" she demanded.

His head cocked to the side, smile falling. "Huh? What'd you think I was-?" Hawks stopped himself, appearing to realize what she had thought. He ran his fingers through his still wet golden hair and gave her an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry. I didn't think that through."

"…no worries…"

"I'll make it up to you. Promise." He gave her a smile and a thumbs-up before starting toward the apartment door. Hawks paused before unlocking it, facing away from her. "Uh…but we seriously do need to talk about last night at some point. I don't know if you were having a night terror, but that could've been dangerous-"

"Stop chirping." Yori saw him jump a little and felt a smirk tug at the corner of her lips. Before he could turn to look at her, startled by the fact that she was suddenly right behind him, the ex-villain wrapped both arms around his midsection and leaned her forehead against the back of his shoulder. His wings moved out to the sides to accommodate her, but he was still clearly unsettled.

"Yori-chan? Are you…_hugging_ me?"

"Did I not tell you to shut up? I…have something to say, alright?" She felt him relaxing a little and frowned. Her heart was racing, stomach doing flips. The close proximity was raising her anxiety, but she was pushing herself. She wanted to get over her fear.

Yori took a deep breath and tried to push down all of her panic. "I feel bad…about putting you through so much. You're doing a lot to try to help me and I do appreciate it, even if I don't always act like it. I just…wanted you to know that, okay?"

He was quiet for a moment, one hand bracing against the door in front of him and his other hand very gently resting over her right hand on his midsection. "You're a good person. I know you are. That's why I saved you. And you're trying really hard to remake yourself. I'm pretty impressed with how far you've come! I never thought I'd get a Yori-chan hug!"

"Don't say it like that," she grumbled under her breath.

"It makes me really happy to hear you say all of that stuff, though. It feels pretty satisfying." When the hug ended, Hawks turned to face her and pouted a little. "Can I get another one when I come back?"

"Don't push your luck." Yori crossed her arms and her tails wrapped around each other as she became flustered. "And if we're going to talk about what happened last night, are you prepared to explain why you had that creepy reaction to my stingers when they scraped you?"

Hawks stared back at her for a moment and then rested a hand on the top of her head, tousling her hair. A sheepish smile replaced his pout. "That's what I meant." He saw her eyes immediately widen and he laughed. "Just kidding!"

"Go before I put my stingers so deep in your leg that you'll have to dig them out with a knife."

**Shift P.O.V**

He had been in some pretty dangerous situations before, but the incident from that night was on a different level of danger. Waking up to his ex-villain roommate straddling his waist and trailing her stingers over his thighs. It was alarming and he should have probably feared for his life, but instead of absolute terror, he had felt something else.

A rush of adrenaline. A spike of incomparable excitement. He had never felt something quite like it. Hawks had stayed in bed long after she got up; pretending to be asleep as he tried to process what it was and why he felt it.

Rehabilitating the ex-villain was supposed to be a hobby. A side project for fun. Nothing overly serious, since he had such flimsy plans for it. More than anything, he had just wanted to save her from the League of Villains. He was unsure of when his feelings started to change, but it was undeniable now.

As he entered the grocery store, holding Yori's grocery list and skimming the items, he admitted to himself that he liked this. Hawks liked having her around. He liked sharing all of his free time with her and helping her with her manga. When he saw how excited she became once her first volume was published, he had felt his pulse skip a beat.

Walking down the aisles, gathering the items on the list, Hawks smiled. The surprise he had planned was definitely something she would enjoy. She liked video games. He remembered her mentioning that at some point. So, in his mind, a laptop would be a perfect gift to celebrate her manga being published. She could play online games and plan out her chapters. At this point, Hawks trusted her enough and knew her well enough to be sure she would not try to contact a member of the League of Villains.


End file.
